Asia's largest comedy festival, the 'Busan Comedy Festival', is set to meet audiences with an even more glamorous lineup and stage.
On the afternoon of the 1st, a press conference for the '13th Busan International Comedy Festival' (hereafter 'Bukope') was held at the Stanford Hotel Korea in Sangam-dong, Mapo-gu, Seoul. The event was attended by Executive Chairman Kim Jun-ho, Deputy Executive Chairman Choi Dae-woong, Chief Programmer Hwang Deok-chang, Programmer Jo Yoon-ho, and participating comedians.
First held in August 2013 under the theme 'Busan Sea, Sea of Laughter', 'Bukope' is celebrating its 13th edition this year. It has grown into a representative comedy festival of Asia, expanding its scale every year and providing high-quality performances that everyone can enjoy, surpassing Busan and South Korea. This year's 'Bukope' promises a more diverse stage by not only inviting existing comedy street teams but also soliciting open participation works that anyone can freely join.
On this day, Executive Chairman Kim Jun-ho expressed his gratitude, saying, “Thanks to the interest and support, we have reached the 13th edition.” He continued, “In Melbourne, a comedy festival runs for a month with a thousand teams performing. I want to create a comedy theater platform in Busan, like the 'Busan Cinema Center'. We are also working hard on nurturing talent. This year, we created a comedy course at Dongseo University and conducted six months of classes, with plans to continue in the second semester.”
He also mentioned, “To internationalize, the duration is shorter compared to other festivals. I believe that we need to continuously develop content in theaters to globalize K-comedy like K-drama and K-pop. We are focusing on this,” promising a developed future.
This year, the 'Gag Concert' team members Shin Yoon-seung, Jo Soo-yeon, Song Pil-geun, Na Hyun-young, Kim Young-hee, Jung Beom-kyun, and Lee Soo-kyung will participate, along with various segments such as Ahn Young-mi's 'Ahn Young-mi Show: All Ages Show', Byeon Gi-soo's 'Beach Show', and Kim Young-hee & Jung Beom-kyun's 'Communication King Malja Halmae'. Performances by international comedians are also expected.
The closing performance will feature 'I Am a Dog Singer'. The MC will be Lee Hong-ryeol, and trot singers who are former comedians, including Park Sung-ho, Kim Na-hee, Son Heon-soo, Wink, and Kim Jae-rong, will perform.
Lee Hong-ryeol expressed his joy in hosting the closing ceremony, saying, “I feel proud every time I see my juniors on stage, and it makes me happy to see comedy being continued.” He added, “There are seniors I think of at this moment. Many seniors like Jang So-pal, Go Chun-ja, Yang Hoon, Nam Cheol, Gu Bong-soo, Seo Young-chun, Lee Joo-il, Baek Nam-bong, and Nam Bo-won have all passed away,” showing an emotional response.
He stated, “I want to show the wonderful juniors to my seniors, but it’s unfortunate that I can’t. Although the comedy department has disappeared, excellent juniors are continuing. I am really proud of many juniors, including Kim Jun-ho.”
Recently, Honorary Chairman Jeon Yoo-sung, who announced his health deterioration, is also expected to make an appearance. He will hold a talk concert with comedians who published books this year. Last month, Jeon Yoo-sung shared a photo from his hospital room on social media, stating, “Currently on temporary closure due to internal repairs,” updating his condition. He is reported to have undergone treatment for pneumothorax.
Lee Hong-ryeol revealed, “I will conduct a talk concert with Jeon Yoo-sung and Jeong Seon-hee, and plan to introduce a mini-lecture and a PPT showcasing books written by comedians.” He continued, “I often visit Jeon Yoo-sung, and in January, I received a suggestion to gather books written by comedians. In fact, over 50 people have written more than 120 books, and we have collected and donated them.”
This year's festival's distinguishing feature is the 'Fringe'. Kim Jun-ho explained, “Like the fringe performances at the Edinburgh Festival in the UK, people who were not invited started performing on the streets and gained great popularity,” adding, “To expand participation opportunities for comedians who could not appear in major programs, 50 teams applied, and we selected 8 teams to create a fringe stage. We plan to further activate this in the future.”
The 'Bukope' will take place from the 29th to September 7th, with performances held at various locations in Busan, including the Busan BEXCO Auditorium, Shinsegae Centum City Cultural Hall, KT&G Sangsangmadang Busan Live Hall, and Busan Citizens Hall Small Theater.
[Kim So-yeon, Star Today Reporter]
