The National Arts Council (NAC) and the Arts Council Korea (ARKO) will sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to encourage artistic development, collaboration and exchange on 3 July 2008, at Arts Council Korea in Seoul, South Korea.
The Council-to-Council Memorandum will be signed by Mr Kim Jung Heun (Chief Executive Officer and Chairman, ARKO) and Mr Lee Suan Hiang (Chief Executive Officer, NAC). It will be witnessed by Mr Kim Deuk Hwan (Director, Cultural Exchange Division, Ministry of Foreign Affairs & Trade) and Mr Thaddaeus Hoo (Deputy Chief of Mission, Singapore Embassy in Seoul, South Korea). Representatives from Asian member agencies of the International Federation of Arts Councils and Culture Agencies (IFACCA) who are in Seoul to attend the sixth IFACCA Asian Chapter meeting will also be present at the MOU signing ceremony.
The MOU aims to facilitate opportunities for artist to present their work and identify ways to enhance the strategic value of cultural exchange projects between Singapore and South Korea by promoting such projects in complementary platforms. In addition, both parties will encourage the provision of exchange in all arts forms, as well as the development of joint programmes.
The signing of the NAC-ARKO MOU marks a new chapter in the artistic alliance between Singapore and South Korea. This partnership between the two members of the IFACCA Asian Chapter also serves to encourage other Asian countries to explore establishing similar agreements to increase international networking and cultural cooperation in the arts.