Regional Report 

Korea Center

1.    New President of ASSITEJ Korea was elected this February.  Byung-Ho Kim was vice-president for the last 3 years and elected as president for the next 3 years. He was invited to Hurrai-National festival of theatre for children and young people through the foreign ministry of Finland in Helsinki 14-21 March. 
2.    AssiFe Winter 2009 was held Jan. 10th thru Jan. 18th in Seoul.   International Productions are invited from Denmark, Germany, Israel, Australia, and Japan.  Seoul Foundation for Arts and Culture supported this Winter Festival.  Razi was invited to AssiFe Winter festival and gave a speech about children’s cultural complex. The exchange project between Israel and Korea has been developing.
3.    Asian Young Artists Residence Project 2008, Dragon of Asia, was finished with a great success.  The participants were from Japan, China, Vietnam, Indo, and Korea.  The participants had stayed in Seoul for 3 months together and devised a new piece of performance.  10 performers were joined to this project. This year it’s going to be held from the end of September thru the end of December.  Any Asian Artists in Asia under 35 years old can apply for this program.  ASSITEJ Korea will provide accommodation/meals, and Korean traditional arts training programs for 3 months. The participants should afford their airfares.  At the end they will perform a play through collaboration.
4.    AssiFe Summer 2009 will be held in Seoul 25 July thru 2 August. International productions will be invited from the UK, Austria, Germany, Croatia, Australia, and Japan.
5.    The World Day was celebrated in Seoul on 20 March.  There was an award ceremony for the best artists in TYA of the year 2008. 

- ATYA (Asian Alliance of Theatre for Young Audiences)
1.    Asian Children’s Theatre Association changed its name to ATYA (Asian Alliance of Theatre for Young Audiences) this year.  Seoul City is elected as a chair city of ATYA.
2.    ATYA festival will be held in Okinawa 5-9 August.
3.    The festivals in the member cities of ATYA are as follows:
Taipei   6 July – 2 August
Seoul   25 July - 2 August
Osaka   27 July – 2 August
Okinawa 1-9 August 
ATYA is trying to find a new contact in Shanghai. 
   
-Asia Networking Newsletter opened its blog.  Please visit at http://annassitej.wordpress.com. You will find the information about what’s happening on TYA in Asia and get the information about the festivals in Asia.
Now there are reporters from Japan, Thailand, Singapore and Korea.  It will have more reporters from other Asian countries.