2025 K-Pop Academy DC – Call for Participants                          Calling all K-Pop fans! Ready to dance like your favorite idols? Join the K-Pop Academy and bring your stage dreams to life!   The Korean Cultural Center Washington, D.C. (KCCDC) is pleased to announce the 2025 K-Pop Academy, to be held at the KCCDC from July 7 through July 19 with applications accepted June 9 – 13. This exciting program offers a special opportunity for local fans that are passionate about K-Pop to gain hands-on experience and connect with Korean dance and culture through live training sessions with Korean industry professionals.   There's no cost to join, but the application process is competitive. See below for full details on the program and how to apply.   Program Overview   ●Dates: July 7 (Mon) – July 19 (Sat), 2025 ●Schedule: Three sessions per week; final showcase on Saturday, July 19 ●Location: Korean Cultural Center Washington, D.C. (2370 Massachusetts Ave NW, Washington, DC 20008) ●Participants: 20 students in the Beginner Class, 20 in the Intermediate Class ●Eligibility: Open to all K-Pop fans aged 15 and older! Participants must also be able to participate in all class sessions in-person in Washington, D.C. according to the schedule below. ●Fees: There is no fee to apply or participate, but due to limited space, submitting your complete application early is highly recommended. ● Language: All classes will be conducted in English—no Korean language ability is required to participate. Instructor & Class Format   A professional K-Pop dance choreographer from Korea with experience training well-known K-Pop idol groups will lead the program, providing high-quality instruction tailored to participants' levels across two groups. This year’s academy will focus on dance training without a separate vocal training group.   [Beginner] For those who are interested in K-Pop but have little or no dance experience Focuses on basic choreography, performance understanding, teamwork building   [Intermediate] For those with prior experience in K-Pop dance at an intermediate level Focuses on choreography creation, effective practice techniques, role sharing, and leadership skills Not sure which level to choose? No worries! Just upload a 1-minute dance video in the application form, and our instructor will help determine the best level for you. Class Schedule     How to Apply   Application Period: June 9 – 13, 2025 (link opens June 9 at 10:00 a.m. EDT) How to Apply: Complete the application form via the KCCDC website Selection Announcement: Wednesday, June 18 Selection: 40 participants will be selected through a review of applications   Applicants selected for participation will be contacted directly. Please understand that the process is competitive, and that due to strong interest only a portion of applicants are selected for participation. In your application, be sure to express your passion and tell us what participating would mean to you! Applicants are encouraged to be thoughtful and to convey, for example, their passion, how they could benefit from the program, or their personal motivations, all of which will be considered. Participants are not selected based on individual skill but on maximizing the overall positive impact of the program.   Inquiries   For more information, please visit the KCCDC website or contact us at soh24@mofa.or.kr. 👉Application Opens on June 9 at 10am👈

In 1991, while South Korea was striving to join the United Nations, a brutal civil war erupted in Mogadishu, the capital of Somalia. Cut off from all communication, the staff and families of the South Korean embassy find themselves trapped amidst a storm of bullets and bombs, fighting each day to stay alive. One night, officials from the North Korean embassy come knocking, seeking help... Their shared goal: to escape from Mogadishu. Free with an RSVP! Complimentary snacks. In Korean with English subtitles. Acclaimed director Ryu Seung-wan's dramatic epic 2021 Escape from Mogadishu starring Kim Yoon-seok, Zo In-sung, Huh Joon-ho, Koo Kyo-hwan, Kim So-jin, and Jung Man-sik is based on real events and went on to earn critical and commercial success.  Free with an RSVP! Complimentary snacks. In Korean with English subtitles. 121 minutes.  Escape from Mogadishu (모가디슈) Wednesday, June 18, 6:00 PM Korean Cultural Center Washington, D.C. (2370 Massachusetts Ave. NW) RSVP HERE!

Hyewon takes a break from a life where nothing seems to go right—exams, relationships, job hunting—and returns to her hometown. There, she reunites with longtime friends Jae-ha and Eun-sook. Together, they prepare meals from the crops they grow and spend the seasons finding comfort and meaning in the cycle of nature. Through this journey, Hyewon discovers why she truly came home and takes her first step toward a new beginning. Director Yim Soonrye's quaint 2018 drama Little Forest starring Kim Tae-ri, Ryu Jun-yeol, Moon So-ri and Jin Ki-joo was a box office success and went on to become an international festival darling, in addition to nominations and wins at nearly all of Korea's major film awards.  Free with an RSVP! Complimentary snacks. In Korean with English subtitles. 103 min. Little Forest (리틀포레스트) Wednesday, June 4, 6:00 PM Korean Cultural Center Washington, D.C. (2370 Massachusetts Ave. NW)   RSVP HERE! 

Join us for The New Beginnings: Golden Jubilee of the Han-Mee Artists Association of Greater Washington, an exhibition of diverse works of art celebrating the 50th anniversary of the founding of the Han-Mee Artists Association of Greater Washington (HMAAGW) organization in 1975, on view May 15 through June 20, 2025.   Co-hosted by HMAAGW and the KCCDC, this commemorative exhibition honors five decades of artistic practice, cultural heritage, and the spirit of community among Korean-American artists from throughout the Washington, D.C. region.   The New Beginnings offers more than a mere retrospective. Featuring works by 48 artists spanning several generations, from founding members to HMAAGW’s emerging young artists, the exhibition reflects on real experiences of migration history, personal memory, individual transformation, and future renewal. Together, these artists navigate the duality of identity in a shifting world and advance HMAAGW’s commitment to cultural dialogue and artistic progress.   Founded in 1975 by a group of first-generation Korean immigrant artists, HMAAGW has served as a primal platform for creative discourse and cross-cultural exchange between Korea and the United States. Through a wide range of media—including painting, sculpture, photography, installation, and digital art—HMAAGW artist have explored the evolution of Korean American identity across generations and the unvarnished experiences of the Korean diaspora, fueling the regional art scene with unique and dynamic perspectives.   This exhibition marks both a milestone and a new chapter for HMAAGW. Serving as a moment of reflection and renewal, The New Beginnings aims to solidify the organization’s historical legacy while also presenting a future vision rooted in connection, creativity, and continued exchange between cultures and generations.   The public is invited to join in celebrating this remarkable milestone in Korean American art history. The New Beginnings offers a rare opportunity to experience the diversity of Korean-American artistic voices that both reflect on the past and imagine the future, while bearing witness to the enduring strength of community, creativity, and cultural exchange.   The New Beginnings will remain on view at the KCCDC during regular visitor hours from Thursday, May 15 through Friday, June 20, 2025. For extended evening hours, visit during ArtWalk Dupont’s First Friday community event on Friday, June 6 (6:00 – 8:00 p.m.). Additional exhibition details and related events will be made available on the KCCDC website as they are announced.   About the Han-Mee Artists Association of Greater Washington   The Han-Mee Artists Association of Greater Washington (HMAAGW) is comprised of Korean American artists who have immigrated to the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area throughout the past half century. In 1975, 15 artists living in the region founded HMAAGW as an organization to benefit artists with Korean heritage and to exhibit their unique works, fostering mutual encouragement as they pursued their passion for art together.   HMAAGW members have exhibited their work through individual and group exhibitions in various museums and galleries across the Washington, D.C. area as well as in international locations for 50 years. Such venues include the Korean Cultural Center Washington, D.C., Baltimore Art Center, Historical Society of Washington D.C., Maryland Hall, and Harmony Hall Regional Center. Works of some members are held in permanent collections at various museums.   Members are inspired to showcase their limitless visions, commitment, and individual creativity in order to share the spirit and culture of Korean Americans living in the United States Capital region. HMAAGW strives to pass on Korean cultural heritage to future generations, to enrich the community with cultural diversity, and to increase awareness of Korean American culture within the metropolitan region. For more information, visit www.hmaagw.org. Selected Artwork Details Komelia H. Okim Promenade in the Forest 2023-2024 Wall relief. Digital printing on Fabric, Silver figures, plexiglass cover 38 x 22 X 5.3 in. Jinchul Kim Sequoia 2019 Oil on canvas 24 x 30 in. Tae D Kim-James  Bellona Excavated: A Fictional Archaeology of Power and Identity 2025 Three-Dimensional Composition; Biobased Plastic, Personal Object 31 x 20 x 13 in. Jinsoon Oh  Gaia – Psyche 2024 Cone 6 stoneware 17 x 8 x 6 in. Yoonsun Lim Eve's Chat 2024 Clay & Glaze, five units 18 x 26 x 25 in. Sunhee Kim Jung Unseen on Eyes 9 2025 Oil on canvas   48 x 24 in. 

#MyK FESTA in Yeosu ★ MyK FESTA in Yeosu ★ K-POP cover dance video contest ★ Yeosu City, South Korea, is hosting a K-POP dance video contest to promote Korea's K-POP culture overseas. We hope for the participation of many K-POP lovers. ○ Application Period: 2025. 5. 12. - 2025. 5. 25. ○ How to Participate: Submit a 30-second team introduction + 5-minute performance video ○ Application: nykf2025@gmail.com ○ Announcement of Results: 2025. 5. 28. (Individual email notification for winning teams) ○ Award: - Grand Prize 1 team KRW 1,000,000 - Excellence Prize 1 team KRW 500,000 - Encouragement Prize 1 team KRW 300,000 ○ Please refer to the contest for details. instagram.com/myk_festa_yeosu