The Busan International Comedy Festival Organizing Committee has taken the lead in fostering comedians.

On the 17th, the Busan International Comedy Festival Organizing Committee (BICF) announced, “On the 12th at 4 PM, we signed a business agreement for the ‘BICF-Dongseo University Comedy Actor Training Curriculum Development’ at Dongseo University Centum Campus.”

The signing ceremony was attended by BICF Executive Chairman Kim Jun-ho, Director Kim Dae-hee, Vice Executive Chairman Choi Dae-woong, Vice Executive Chairman Jo Gwang-sik, Senior Hong In-gyu, Senior Jo Yoon-ho, Dongseo University President Jang Je-guk, Director of Industry-Academic Cooperation Hwang Gi-hyeon, Dean of Q College Kwak Jun-sik, Dean of Im Kwon-taek College of Film and Arts Kim Dae-seung, and Head of the Musical Entertainment Department Oh Se-jun. ... held in cooperation between the organizing committee and the university. The agreement ceremony aims to foster comedians through cooperation between universities and industries in the Busan area by developing new content and creating an environment, and thereby strengthening the image of Busan as a “city of laughter, city of comedy, Busan!”

The Musical Entertainment Department of the Im Kwon-taek College of Film and Arts at Dongseo University will establish a regular education course and the organizing committee will form a faculty to conduct a practical education course. Through planning, producing, and training for comedy performances, actual performance content will be created, and through feedback from faculty, opportunities will be provided to stand on the stage of the Busan International Comedy Festival directly, and it is expected to increase interest in local comedy in the long term.

This will be organized as an official education course rather than a one-time lecture, and the plan is to increase interest in local comedy in the long term. It also aims to pioneer and develop the comedy genre as cultural content based on mutual cooperation between the largest international comedy festival operator in Korea and regional specialized universities.

Dongseo University President Jang Je-guk said, “Starting today, we will make sure that Dongseo University and the Busan International Comedy Festival can cooperate even more closely,” and added, “We will make sure that K-comedy can spread to the world in the field of cultural content.”

In addition, BICF Executive Director Kim Jun-ho said, “It has already been over 10 years since the Busan International Comedy Festival was established in Busan. Nurturing comedians in Busan has been a long-cherished wish. We will do our best to operate it as a regular course,” adding, “I think it is meaningful that BICF can participate in the development of Busan’s future talent, and I would like to open a comedy program and even publish a book.”


Reporter Yoo Ji-hye yjh0304@donga.com