Mayor Sangil Lee: "Internationalizing the University Theater Festival"... Yongin to Become a Hub for Youth Theater

Yongin City Kicks Off the 3rd Korea University Theater Festival with Enthusiasm
14 Finalist University Teams from Across the Country Present Diverse Performances
High-Caliber Shows Spark Explosive Public Interest; All Tickets Sold Out
Sangil Lee: "Aiming to Compete on the Global Stage... City Will Expand Its Support"

The summer festival for university theater students from across the country has kicked off in Yongin. Now in its third year, the Korea University Theater Festival has established itself as the largest residential university theater festival in Korea, with 14 universities from across the nation participating. It is rapidly growing into a new cultural brand for Yongin.

Mayor Sangil Lee is delivering the opening address at the 3rd Korea University Theater Festival on the 11th. Courtesy of Yongin City

On July 11, Yongin Special City, Gyeonggi Province (Mayor Sangil Lee), held the opening ceremony of the 3rd Korea University Theater Festival at the Yongin Forest Education Center in Mohyeon-eup, Cheoin-gu, marking the beginning of a 23-day journey. Hosted by Yongin Special City and organized by the Yongin Cultural Foundation, this year’s festival is themed "University Theater, Dreaming of a Renaissance" and will continue at major performance venues in Yongin until August 2.

The opening ceremony was attended by Sangil Lee, Mayor of Yongin Special City; Jeongsoon Jang, Chairperson of Yongin Special City Council; Hyunsun Park, President of the Korea Theater Association; Taesik Kang, Vice President of the Korea Directors Association; and more than 150 citizens and figures from the arts and culture community, who gathered to celebrate a new beginning for university theater students.

In his opening address, Mayor Lee stated, "In 2023, we competed with metropolitan cities and won the right to host the 42nd Korea Theater Festival. While preparing for that event in Yongin in 2024, we also launched the first Korea University Theater Festival to support university theater students." He added, "Every time we host the university theater festival, I am reminded that it was a great idea to create a stage where college students can showcase their imagination and creativity."

Mayor Lee continued, "I felt it again during the pre-festival event held at Poeun Art Hall at the end of last month—I truly admire your passion. As this year’s slogan, 'Hey, Universe! Play Universe!' suggests, I hope that participants, each with their own unique worldview, can come together here, understand each other’s perspectives, and create even greater worlds together."

At the opening ceremony of the 3rd Korea University Theater Festival, Mayor Sangil Lee is waving the tournament flag. Photo provided by Yongin City

He added, "I hope the 14 universities will display their originality, engage in friendly competition, and learn from each other’s performances. The city will also expand its support, including reviewing plans for the internationalization of the Korea University Theater Festival."

Now in its third year, the festival is establishing a new tradition as a representative cultural event for Yongin, fueled by the hard work, spirit of challenge, and passion of university theater students who will lead the future of Korean theater.

The opening ceremony began with a gala show of "Once On This Island" by Myongji University, which was selected as one of last year’s "Best 3." This was followed by an introduction of the 14 universities that advanced to the finals and a guild performance that participating students prepared together in a single day, further enhancing the festive atmosphere.

This year’s finals feature 14 universities from across the nation—Kyonggi University, Kyungsung University, Kyung Hee University, Dankook University, Daejin University, Dongyang University, Dong-Ah Institute of Media and Arts, Seokyeong University, Seoul Institute of the Arts, Sungkyul University, Incheon National University, Chung-Ang University, Chungwoon University, and Howon University—who will present a diverse array of original works and reinterpretations of classics.

At the opening ceremony of the 3rd Korea University Theater Festival, Mayor Sangil Lee is participating in the guild performance. Provided by Yongin City

Yongin City has placed the emphasis of this year’s festival on exchange and growth rather than ranking competition. All teams in the finals will receive a prize of 4 million won, and five outstanding teams will each receive 10 million won as grants for the development of university theater. Additionally, a total of 10 million won will be awarded to five teams that excel in acting, directing, and networking.

Participating students will stay together at the Yongin Forest Education Center and Yongin Natural Recreation Forest until July 15, taking part in "Stay & Play," a program for creation and exchange. The final performances will be held free of charge from July 18 to 29 at Yongin Poeun Art Hall, Cheoin Hall at Yongin City Cultural Center, Maru Hall at Yongin Arts Center, and the Large Assembly Hall at Yongin Lifelong Learning Center.

Launched alongside the 2024 Korea Theater Festival, the Korea University Theater Festival has grown in both scale and public interest each year, becoming a gateway for young theater talent and a flagship cultural festival for Yongin. With official plans for internationalization now underway, the festival is expected to expand its reach even further, using Yongin as its hub.

The opening ceremony of the 3rd Korea University Theater Festival was held on the 11th at the Forest Education Center in Mohyeon-eup, Cheoin-gu, Yongin Special City. Provided by Yongin City

The works that have reached the finals this year are: ▲Mara/Sade (Kyonggi University) ▲Ikaino Bike (Kyungsung University) ▲dOnut (Kyung Hee University) ▲The Secret Garden (Dankook University) ▲Amesha (Daejin University) ▲ONCE ON THE ISLAND (Dongyang University) ▲Green Place 2.0 (Dong-Ah Institute of Media and Arts) ▲Barbie (Seokyeong University) ▲Zero Point (Seoul Institute of the Arts) ▲The Seven Keys of Bold Fate (Sungkyul University) ▲A Midsummer Night's Dream (Incheon National University) ▲Unification of the Two Koreas (Chung-Ang University) ▲Pygmalions (Chungwoon University) ▲On a Blue Day (Howon University).

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.