By Kim Ji-eun

The 26th World Peace Art Exhibition, which will be held together with artists wishing for peace on the Korean Peninsula and world peace, will begin.

Lee Jon-young, chairman of the World Peace Art Exhibition Organizing Committee, said, "The 26th World Peace Art Exhibition will be held from August 23 to 28 at the Maru Art Center in Insa-dong after receiving art applications during the August 5-13 period.

During the 25 years of the World Peace Art Exhibition, Chairman Lee has helped to create a high-quality art culture in Korean art by discovering talented new artists.

The World Peace Art Exhibition gave artists high self-esteem, profound artistic inspiration and courage, and made it a competition involving more than 50 countries so that high-quality culture sublimated into art can become a venue for abundance, prosperity, and peace.

Although it has only been exhibiting on the Internet for about three years due to COVID-19, it plans to freely continue the event at the exhibition hall on the first basement floor of the Maru Art Center in Insa-dong.

Even in difficult situations, the World Peace Art Exhibition has contributed to international cultural exchanges and the development of culture and arts, and has played a leading role in discovering and awarding excellent cultural artists and moving toward an era of co-prosperity and harmony.

Some say the event has been held with the support of the government, but the chairman of the board said he has never held the event with the support of the government.

In order to promote Korean art culture to foreign countries, the organization exhibited Korean art culture with foreign artists every year and received great response from diplomatic envoys in Korea. From 2003 to 2022, about 600 works were donated overseas.

"The World Peace Art Exhibition has donated its works to events such as anti-drug funds and relief funds in the U.S., and there are already inquiries from overseas for exhibition requests," said the chairman.

The World Peace Art Exhibition Organizing Committee plans to contribute to the national development as it is an art exhibition with the theme of peace and the desire of cultural artists for peaceful inter-Korean unification by fostering great talents and building a "cultural power" through international exchanges.

Starting this year, it is known that the committee will continue to make efforts to advance the stagnant art industry and peaceful unification through the World Peace Art Exhibition with cultural and artistic figures who spread Korea's culture and art in line with the globalization era.

Finally, the organizing committee holds a competition every year to invite foreigners to the award ceremony and work exhibition hall, and diplomats and children in Korea have visited the exhibition hall to encourage and exchange works.

It has been promoting foreign artists' participation through diplomats in Korea, such as congratulatory speeches by UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan and events with Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger of California, to make the competition a great art competition at a low cost.

The World Peace Art Exhibition will be held from August 23 to 28 after receiving art applications during the Aug. 5~13 period, and winners will be presented a number of awards and prizes, including those by the Speaker of the National Assembly, the Vice Speaker of the National Assembly, the Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the Mayor of Seoul, the Chairman of the Korea Arts Association, the Ambassador to Korea, and the Chairman of the World Peace Art Exhibition Organizing Committee.

For more information, visit the organizing committee's website; World Peace Art Exhibition Organizing Committee (http://www.wpae.co.kr).