'K-Community Challenge' kicks off with foreigners invited to showcase Korean culture

The government's annual "K-Community Challenge" for foreigners kicked off Thursday, said the Culture Ministry on the same day.

Boy band SF9 feature in a "taekwonmu" (dance inspired by taekwondo) tutorial clip for this year's "K-Community Challenge." [MINISTRY OF CULTURE, SPORTS AND TOURISM]

The government's annual "K-Community Challenge" for foreigners kicked off Thursday, said the Culture Ministry on the same day.

An online performance contest inviting participation from non-Koreans, this year's event features four categories: "Joseon pop" (a new genre that blends traditional Korean music, gugak, with pop elements), "taekwonmu" (a dance inspired by taekwondo), sogochum (a traditional Korean dance with hand-held drums) and hansik (Korean cuisine).

Participants must watch tutorial clips in their preferred category and film their own videos. The winning teams from each category will be awarded a seven-day trip to Korea and an invitation to perform at the "K-Community Festival" set for Nov. 2 at Yes24 Live Hall in Gwangjin District, eastern Seoul.

The "K-Community Challenge" was launched in 2019. Last year, 341 people from 46 countries participated in the contest.

A poster for this year's "K-Community Challenge" [MINISTRY OF CULTURE, SPORTS AND TOURISM]

This year's event includes a collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs in the new hansik category for the first time. It will introduce easy hansik recipes and food products.

"I hope that through this contest, Korean culture enthusiasts around the world will see that they can easily enjoy K-food in their daily lives by trying dishes made with Korean agricultural and food ingredients that have been exported to their countries," said Director General Yang Joo-pil of the Ministry of Agriculture's Food Industry Policy Bureau.

Boy band EPEX feature in a hansik tutorial clip for this year's "K-Community Challenge." [MINISTRY OF CULTURE, SPORTS AND TOURISM]

This year's contest also includes short-form challenges as part of the Culture Ministry's effort to lower the entry barrier and draw more participants.

"We hope that many foreigners who love Korea will actively communicate, exchange ideas through our country's culture and bolster the positive image of Korea," said Chae Soo-hee of the Culture Ministry's International Cultural Affairs Promotion Division.

Anyone who is not a Korean citizen is eligible to participate in the "K-Community Challenge." Registration runs through Sept. 22. Final winners will be announced in October. More information is available on kcommunityfestival.com.

Dance crew BEBE feature in the "Joseon pop" tutorial clip of "K-Community Challenge." [MINISTRY OF CULTURE, SPORTS AND TOURISM]

BY LEE JIAN [lee.jian@joongang.co.kr]