Culture Minister Yu In-chon (fourth from right) speaks at a press conference for the K-Stage Festa, Friday at the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Seoul. (Culture Ministry)

The Culture Ministry on Friday announced it is introducing K-Stage Festa as a festival that aims to gather attention for the nation’s vibrant yet struggling performing arts scene.

From Oct. 4 to Nov. 10, a total of 140 theater, dance and classical music performances will be introduced under the banner of K-Stage Festa across various venues, such as the National Theater of Korea, the Seoul Arts Center, Cheong Wa Dae Heliport and regional cultural and art centers.

A special series will also bring back nine performances from the past to be revisited and highlighted at the Seoul Arts Center and Myeongdong Theater.

Another series will showcase five classical music performances, including the Korean National Symphony Orchestra's collaboration with pianist Park Jae-hong on Oct. 22 and the National Orchestra Company of Korea's gugak performance on Oct. 25.

In addition, almost 40 performances by national and regional art companies will be introduced, while another 40 performances selected for the ministry's program to help expand nationwide performance distribution through collaboration among producers, organizations and venues will be showcased across the country.

The festival, the Korean name of which translates directly as "Korea is Performing," will coincide with other major performing arts events in October -- the Performing Arts Market in Seoul from Oct. 8 to 11, the Seoul Performing Arts Festival from Oct. 3 to 27 and Welcome Daehakro from Oct. 5 to Nov. 3.

In addition, national and regional art groups are set to take to the stage across the country as part of the 38-day event.

At a press conference on Friday, Culture Minister Yu In-chon explained the motivation behind the initiative, stating, “The reality is that even if artists work hard, it’s challenging for them to reach an audience or distribute their work. I hope we can offer hope to these artists, enabling them to capture the public's attention regardless of where they perform. I envision a system where they are chosen by audiences, which could eventually lead to international opportunities. This is the core goal and responsibility of both the relevant institutions and ourselves.”

The actor-turned-minister also said that the inaugurating event will not be perfect, but the ministry will improve the festival year by year by integrating with other festivals to create a significant platform for the growth of the nation’s performing arts sector, both domestically and internationally.

"We will provide information and opportunities for performance groups across the country, allowing them to promote themselves, through an art market. Starting next year, we plan to invite artistic directors from festivals abroad, aiming to establish Korea as the central arts market in Asia," Yu added.