The 25th General Assembly of the Korea Cultural Center Association was held in November at the Seoul Women＊s Plaza International Conference Center. It is no exaggeration to say that the Korea Cultural Center, which was first established in 2000 as a continuing education institution specializing in handicrafts, has been devoting itself to education and exhibition in various fields. At the general meeting, matters that branches should be aware of, such as audit and business progress reports, changes in the qualification test operation method, and regular exhibition schedules, were shared.

More robust activities in 2024

The center opens an exhibit every February, its founding month. The center offers quality curriculum, craft qualifications, individual workshop openings, and exhibitions. At this general meeting, the center promised to strengthen capabilities through training for division heads and instructors, promote information exchange and revitalize curriculum through division and branch director meetings, attract and produce competent new instructors, and attract domestic and foreign branches. In addition, the center will further promote education through volunteer activities and special lectures, collaboration with other organizations, participation in national and international festivals, and business agreements with public institutions and various organizations. The center’s chairman Geumduk Lee said “This will be a year in which we focus more on cultural content, as befits the name of the Korean Cultural Center. Content keywords include diversity of personal tastes, hobbies in life, current hobbies, consumption that considers the environment and society, new and emerging consumers, double-crossing life, and starting a business rather than finding a job. As a center that has continued its steady progress for 25 years, we will leave more meaningful records so that we can continue to develop.”

A springboard to grow your own brand

The Center’s craft certificates are officially registered with the Korea Research Institute for Vocational Education & Training under Article 17 of the Basic Qualifications Act. After completing a systematic training course directly at the center, and taking and passing the qualification examination administered by the association, students can give lectures at cultural centers, schools, institutions, and companies. As the oldest cultural center in South Korea, the Korean Cultural Center places a lot of emphasis on entrepreneurship, especially for solo entrepreneurs. Lee said “The center’s program is focused on producing instructors, but we believe that in the future, we should also provide for the sale of creative works. The most important advice the center has given to instructors over the past year is that they should prioritize new designs and ideas, because that will give them an advantage in terms of popularization and sales. Assuming that it’s not easy to monetize what you’re doing now, you can’t just stick to education forever.” The surest way to become an expert in any field is to constantly put yourself out there and interact with the public. Lee said “Our competition is not other cultural centers or workshops, but individual entrepreneurs who are creating brands. If we don’t develop our skills and don’t study, it will be difficult for us to develop further. Over the past year, the center has implemented more social media training, and some of the directors have even turned to online classes to compensate for the lack of curriculum. In a way, our tutors are freelancers, and in order to develop and grow as freelancers, they need to look beyond just surviving as tutors. That’s why we emphasized personal platforms. It’s the mistakes, the process, and the growth that will get you noticed, not the glamorous career, and that’s what will help you grow into your own brand. The 1% who do that are the ones who succeed.”

More classes for hobby

The center attracts people from all walks of life, and many are thinking about after-retirement. Some of the hobby classes to note are sugar craft, bean paste flower, folk painting, caligraphy, traditional knots, Latin craft, texture and plastic art, etc, covering over 90 kinds. In the second half of last year, the center held a series of hanji (Korean paper) seminars to promote and educate people about the appeal of hanji. The center said “Hanji is a part of our cultural heritage with a long history and tradition. However, public interest and demand have declined over the years, and there is an urgent need to promote and educate people about the appeal of hanji. Exhibiting and selling hanji products and running programs will help to increase interest in hanji. It is also important to promote artists who use hanji, so that hanji is also recognized as a material for artistic works. We will continue our efforts to increase public interest and demand for hanji.”

Trying new things

At the end of the year, the Korea Cultural Center participated in the 2023 World Football Festival organized by social enterprise MindsGround. The center showcased handmade crafts, brooches, accessories, neckwarmers, and keyrings as part of trying something new to meet more people out there and to engage. At the end of the year, the center signed a business agreement with the Bichaena World Movement Headquarters (President Jaehwan Yoon). The headquarters said “As a continuing education institution specializing in handicrafts, we are delighted to be working with the Korea Cultural Center, which has been providing education and exhibiting works in various fields for over 20 years. Together with the center, which has been creating jobs, developing craft arts, and inheriting and developing the tradition of Korean crafts, we will organize programs of idea sharing, exhibitions, and seminars.” 

With a renewed focus on program development and branding of the center, the outlook for 2024 is very clear. The center’s doors are always open, and anyone with an interest in craft or cultural content is welcome.