Herald Media Group CEO Choi Jin-young (eighth from left) and other attendees pose for a photo during an appointment ceremony for the organizing committee of the third Herald K-Art Competition at Herald Square in Yongsan-gu, Seoul, Tuesday. The 11-member organizing committee includes Eom Jae-kwon (seventh from left), president of the Korean Minhwa Art Institute; Song Chang-soo (sixth from left) president of the Korean Professional Minhwa Artists Association; Yoon In-soo (12th from left), Korea’s No. 1 Minhwa Transmission Cultural Heritage holder; Geum Gwang-bok (11th from left), senior adviser to the Korea Minhwa Association; and Lee Young-cheol (ninth from left), former president of Dongbang Culture University. (Lee Sang-sub/The Korea Herald)
Herald Media Group CEO Choi Jin-young (eighth from left) and other attendees pose for a photo during an appointment ceremony for the organizing committee of the third Herald K-Art Competition at Herald Square in Yongsan-gu, Seoul, Tuesday. The 11-member organizing committee includes Eom Jae-kwon (seventh from left), president of the Korean Minhwa Art Institute; Song Chang-soo (sixth from left) president of the Korean Professional Minhwa Artists Association; Yoon In-soo (12th from left), Korea’s No. 1 Minhwa Transmission Cultural Heritage holder; Geum Gwang-bok (11th from left), senior adviser to the Korea Minhwa Association; and Lee Young-cheol (ninth from left), former president of Dongbang Culture University. (Lee Sang-sub/The Korea Herald)

The Korea Herald has launched the third Herald K-Art Competition, appointing leading figures from Korea's traditional art community to its organizing committee.

The appointment ceremony for the competition's organizing committee was held Tuesday at Herald Square in Seoul. Herald Media Group CEO Choi Jin-young and Art and Bridge CEO Yang Jeong-seok attended the event, along with prominent figures in the traditional art world who were appointed to the committee.

The nationwide competition was created to promote Korean traditional art and discover new "K-art" content that reinterprets tradition in contemporary ways, to expand its global reach.

The 11-member organizing committee includes Eom Jae-kwon, president of the Korean Minhwa Art Institute; Song Chang-soo, president of the Korean Professional Minhwa Artists Association and former president of the Korea Minhwa Association; Yoon In-soo, Korea’s No. 1 Minhwa Transmission Cultural Heritage holder and former vice chairman in charge of registration at the Korean Fine Arts Association; Geum Gwang-bok, senior adviser to the Korea Minhwa Association; and Lee Young-cheol, former president of Dongbang Culture University.

In their welcoming remarks, Choi and Yang said, "We expect the committee members, who have preserved and developed the roots of traditional art despite challenging circumstances, to serve as a steadfast guiding light for this competition."

They added, "Let us join forces to make this competition a stepping stone for showcasing the essence of K-art on the global stage beyond Korea."

The competition will accept entries in traditional calligraphy, modern calligraphy, muninhwa (literati painting), minhwa (Korean folk painting), embroidery and bojagi (traditional Korean wrapping cloth).

The first round of submissions will be accepted through the Art & Bridge website from Dec. 8 to 12. An exhibition of the finalist and award-winning works is scheduled to run from Feb. 24 at Dongduk Art Gallery and Gallery NaMu.

The grand prize winner will receive the Korea Herald CEO's Award and 5 million won in prize money. Three runners-up will receive awards from local government heads and invitations to hold solo exhibitions, each valued at about 2.5 million won.


hwangdh@heraldcorp.com