Busan’s Culture Pass for Youth Sells Out Just in Eight Minutes
With increased quotas and heightened interest, Busan’s Culture Pass continues to broaden access to cultural events for local youth.
Busan Metropolitan City (BMC)’s initiative to support young adults with cultural performance expenses, the "Busan Youth 10,000+Culture Pass (Culture Pass)," successfully concluded once again this year. Following the immense popularity of the program in 2024—applications closed in just seven minutes—the city increased the number of recipients this year, drawing even more attention.
On May 29th, BMC announced the application period, which began at 10am on May 28th via the BUSAN Pay, closed in just eight minutes. The program was available to young adults aged 18 to 39 (born between 1986 and 2007) residing in Busan. First launched in 2024, the Culture Pass aims to reduce the financial burden of attending performances and to broaden cultural access for young people. In 2025, the number of beneficiaries of the Culture Pass increased by 3,500 from 5,000 last year. The first 7,500 applicants received a 100,000-won voucher, while an additional 1,000 recipients were awarded a 50,000-won voucher. Selected applicants can receive a discount equal to the voucher amount when purchasing tickets to Busan Metropolitan City-recommended performances.
With the announcement of eligible performances for the first half of the year scheduled for June 9th at 10am, anticipation is already rising for upcoming events planned in the second half of 2025. According to a May 29th press release by the BMC, they include the Busan International Rock Festival, Busan Fireworks Festival, Cirque du Soleil’s KOOZA, the musical Aladdin, pianist Cho Seong-Jin’s Emperor and the Pipe Organ, and a support package combining theater and musical performances.
In June and July, the 20th anniversary performance of the musical “Jekyll and Hyde” will come to Busan. Busan Concert Hall, the city’s first classical music venue set to open on June 20th, will host “Beethoven & Romanticism” by pianist Sunwoo Ye-Kwon (June 23rd) and “The Flow of the Classics” by conductor Chung Myung-Whun (June 25th). At the Busan Cultural Center, Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet” (July 17–19th) will be reinterpreted with a modern twist. In November, plays such as “Bangya” and “Ohammabaekssihaengjang Wanpanbon” will also take the stage. The Broadway hit musical “Wicked,” recently adapted into a popular film, will be performed at the Dream Theatre in November.
Reporter Ryu Hae-Joo
Translated by Seo Yoo-Jung