A nationwide art festival

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, alongside the Korea Arts Management Service, launched the 2026 Korea Art Festival on Tuesday, turning the country into a monthlong art venue that spans all of September. Now in its third consecutive year, the festival brings together four major regional biennials in Gwangju, Busan, Jeju, and Gyeonggi Province, along with two commercial fairs in Seoul: Kiaf Seoul and Frieze Seoul. According to the ministry, 96 public and private museums across the country are joining with tailored exhibitions.

Culture Minister Chae Hwi-young said the festival "offers citizens a chance to encounter art in their everyday lives while serving as a gateway for the global community to discover Korean art."

To make the arts more accessible, the government subsidized entry tickets with discounts ranging from 30 to 70 percent, with over 13,000 sold out before opening day. The National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art (MMCA) is waiving admission fees at its four main campuses — Seoul, Gwacheon, Deoksu Palace, and Cheongju, North Chungcheong Province — during the festival's opening week. State rail operator Korail introduced discounted transit packages bundling high-speed train tickets to Busan with exhibition entry pass discounts.

The festival's programming extends beyond traditional gallery spaces. International airports in Incheon, Gimpo, and Gimhae are displaying 29 media and installation works from 16 emerging Korean artists. The government is also hosting foreign curators, critics, and editors under its "Dive into Korean Art" initiative, coordinating studio visits and gallery tours. Guided art trip itineraries across five provinces filled within days of opening, according to the ministry.

Seoul's twin art fairs

Frieze Seoul and Kiaf Seoul were set to open in Seoul on Wednesday, bringing together over a hundred galleries from around the world for a week of art events across the capital. After a day of VIP previews, the two annual events will officially run side by side from Thursday to Saturday at the COEX exhibition center in southern Seoul, with Kiaf remaining open one day longer until Sunday.

Marking its fifth edition, Frieze Seoul features 133 galleries from 30 countries and regions. International galleries including Gagosian, Hauser & Wirth, David Zwirner, Pace, White Cube, Lehmann Maupin, and Thaddaeus Ropac have joined leading Korean galleries such as Gallery Hyundai, Kukje Gallery, Gana Art, Hakgojae Gallery, and Johyun Gallery. The fair presents works by a wide range of Korean and international artists, including Damien Hirst, Yoo Young-kuk, Park Seo-bo, Kim Tschang-yeul, Paik Nam-june, Do Ho Suh, and Lee Kang-so.

This year's Frieze Seoul introduces three curated sections: Spotlight, which reconsiders 20th-century artists who have received relatively little attention in art history; Material Practices, which explores materiality at the boundary of art and design; and Focus, which spotlights next-generation galleries.

Kiaf Seoul, hosted by the Galleries Association of Korea, brings together 175 galleries from 18 countries, including 127 Korean exhibitors. The fair's satellite program, Kiaf Plus, is dedicated to emerging galleries and artists, while Kiaf Highlights supports artists selected by participating galleries. Kiaf will also screen Kiaf Portrait, a documentary video program examining the artistic worlds of Park Seo-bo and Kim Tschang-yeul.

Under its theme of "Coexistence," Kiaf will present a special exhibition, "Humal," and its augmented-reality extension, "Virtual Vital," curated by Kiaf creative director Jung Ku-ho. South Korean pianist Cho Seong-jin is scheduled to perform a classical music performance on Thursday.

The events are expected to extend beyond the COEX venue through "Frieze Week," gallery programs, and media-art projects across Seoul. The collaboration between Kiaf and Frieze began in 2022, when Frieze launched its first Asian fair in Seoul.