○ “It’s Okay, That’s Love” director Kim Gyu-tae, writer Noh Hee-kyung, actors Jo In-sung, Lee Gwang-soo attend Drama Festival
○ Block-B, C-Clown and other popular Korean and Japanese singers at K-pop & J-pop Festival
○ Korean Japanese Cultural Exchange Forum for promoting cultural exchange and friendship between two nations

Co-hosted by the Korea Foundation for International Culture Exchange, Sapporo Tourist Association, and NPO Japan Korea Cultural Exchanges Society, the Korea-Japan Friendship Festival commemorating the 50th anniversary of Korea-Japan diplomatic ties and in association with the 66th Sapporo Snow Festival will take place from February 6 (Friday) to February 8 (Saturday) in Sapporo, Japan. For the first time this year, the festival will be co-hosted by Korea and Japan in commemoration of the 50th anniversary of normalization of diplomatic ties between the two countries. Cultural exchange will become a tool for patching up the relationship between the two countries that has become fraught over political and historical issues.

Starting the festival on the 6th is the K-Drama & J-Drama festival at the Nitori Bunka Hall. K-drama “It’s Okay, That’s Love” director Kim Gyu-tae, writer Noh Hee-kyung, and actors Jo In-sung and Lee Gwang-soo will attend the festival. In recognition of their contribution to the Korean-Japanese cultural exchange through their drama, they will receive a special award presented by the Korea-Japan Friendship Festival joint committee. There will also be a joint performance by Japan’s Baladin orchestra and female rookie group Melody Day who has featured in numerous drama OST albums.

The Korean Japanese Cultural Exchange Forum will be held on the 7th. Its main agenda is finding ways to improve the relations between the two countries through mutual cultural exchange. The forum will be hosted by KBS anchor Han Sang-deok and attended by Korea Foundation for International Culture Exchange Chairman Lee Pal-seung, Corea Drama Production Association Chairman Park Chang-sik (member of Saenuri Party), Saenuri Party member Yeom Dong-yeol, Japan’s Liberal Democratic Party member Yoshikawa Takamori, Sapporo Tourism Association Chairman Hoshino Hisao, and NHK senior commentator Ideishi Tadashi among others.  

In the afternoon of the same day, the K-pop & J-pop Festival will kick off at the Nitori Bunkai Hall. In the lineup are the unique, stylish group Block-B, powerful performance group C-Clown, indie acoustic duo Jungheum Band, girl group Melody Day, and super rookie Ji Hoo who will debut this year. The Korean artists will be joined by Japan’s hot idol group Team Kurereko and DJ & dance vocal unit Carat. Together they will heighten the festivity at the Sapporo Snow Festival. 

On the following Sunday, there will be various interactive programs for visitors, including a K-food and J-food booth and a cover dance program where the participants can learn the increasingly popular K-pop and J-pop choreographies. This event is a fund-raising campaign for Good Friends Save the Children (GFSC) and all profits will go to GFSC. The Korea Foundation for International Culture Exchange and C-Clown will visit a children’s welfare center in Sapporo and spend some meaningful time with the children.