Korea to expand Dream Arts Troupe to 200 hubs in 2027

The culture ministry said Monday it will expand its Dream Arts Troupe program to more than 200 regional hubs next year from 150 this year, after the youth arts education initiative was named South Korea's best government innovation case in the youth welfare category.

The program, which gives children and teenagers in areas with limited access to the arts a chance to learn and perform, was selected in the 2026 "Government Innovation First and Best" contest organized by the interior ministry and the Korea Institute of Public Administration, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism said.

"The selection of the Dream Arts Troupe as the country's top government innovation case is a result of recognition for widening participation opportunities for children and teenagers in areas without access to culture and the arts, and for the achievements of nurturing both the children's growth and the region's cultural foundation," said Jeong Hyang-mi, head of the ministry's culture and arts policy office.

About 6,000 members now take part at 150 hubs across the country. The program began in 2010 as the Dream Orchestra in eight regions and has since added dance, theater, studio, traditional arts and other disciplines; 45 of the orchestra's hub organizations have become self-sustaining.

The centerpiece of the expansion is a plan the ministry calls Dream Arts Troupe 2.0, which shifts the focus from establishing troupes nationwide to having local communities raise them. The government has set aside 26.6 billion won ($19.9 million) for the program in its 2027 budget proposal, up 9.5 billion won, or 55.6 percent, from this year's 17.1 billion won.

Along with the additional hubs, the ministry plans to introduce new disciplines including choir and to develop a small-scale orchestra model suited to the population and demand of individual regions.

"We will now move beyond the stage of settling arts troupes in regions across the country to a mature stage in which local residents, local businesses and hub organizations together raise 'our neighborhood's Dream Arts Troupe,'" Jeong said.

To keep participants progressing, the ministry will offer advanced arts training and more opportunities to play and perform together, expanding partnerships with national arts organizations and major performance venues. Prominent artists will be appointed as "Dream Arts Troupe Masters" to lead master classes and counseling.