The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism will hold the 2025 Korea Culture Grand Festival at 2 p.m. on the 8th at the Content Korea Lab (CKL) Stage in Jung-gu, Seoul. It will honor foreign promoters and creators who have helped spread Korean culture.
According to the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism (MCST) on the 7th, the Korea Culture Grand Festival began in 2020 to strengthen international human networks in Korea's content sector. It will invite top contributors among foreign promoters known as "K-influencers" who are spreading Korean culture worldwide, the Korea.net honorary reporters, and winners of the international content contest "Talk Talk Korea" across three categories (five per category, 15 in total): outstanding contributors, outstanding honorary reporters, and prizewinners. This year's event will be broadcast live worldwide via the official Korea.net YouTube channel and other platforms.
In the K-influencer category, a total of 1,303 people from 95 countries were active this year. Among them, five, including Franco Xavier Gil Colmenares of Venezuela, who introduced Korean drama and music using innovative editing techniques, were selected as outstanding contributors.
In the Korea.net honorary reporters category, 1,498 people from 101 countries took part. Five, including Iman Ahmed Mohamed of Egypt, who delved into Korean literature and the arts and contributed to cultural exchanges between Korea and Egypt, were chosen as outstanding honorary reporters.
In the international content contest "Talk Talk Korea 2025," a total of 76,296 entries from 108 countries were submitted this year. Among them, for the 80th Liberation special category, first place went to Bina Aulia Zakia Shodiqin of Indonesia, and five were selected as category champions.
Seventy-nine award-winning works across five contest categories will be exhibited through March next year, starting at the HiKR Ground Korea Tourism Promotion Center in Jung-gu, Seoul, and then at three Korean Cultural Centers in Vietnam, Indonesia, and Belgium.
Winners of the Korea Culture Grand Festival will join a nine-day, eight-night Korean culture experience program. They will visit N Seoul Tower and the Naksan Fortress Wall, the setting of the Netflix animation "K-pop Demon Hunters," explore alleyways in Ikseon-dong and Seongsu-dong, and take part in an 80th Liberation history tour (Independence Gate, Seodaemun Prison History Hall, and more) to experience Korean culture and history firsthand.