The Embassy of the Republic of Korea in the Dominican Republic and the King Sejong Institute Foundation will host the Sejong Cultural Week 2026 in Santo Domingo from August 27 to September 4.
The cultural event aims to connect Korean traditions directly with Dominican rhythms and expressions through a series of interactive, two-way workshops.
Organisers announced that the week will feature six sessions covering three main areas: Korean beauty cosmetics, traditional Korean games, and a dance fusion combining Korean popular music with Dominican bachata.
Specialists invited directly from South Korea will lead the workshops, combining theoretical explanations, live demonstrations, and practical group exercises.
To foster an intimate experience for attendees, session sizes will be limited to between 20 and 30 participants each.
The King Sejong Institute Foundation is a public institution under the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism of South Korea that promotes Korean language and culture worldwide. The embassy in Santo Domingo serves as South Korea's diplomatic mission to the Dominican Republic, facilitating bilateral cultural and educational exchanges between the two nations.
Korean cosmetics and beauty trends
The programme opens with sessions dedicated to Korean beauty, known globally as K-Beauty, on Thursday, August 27 and Friday, August 28.
Both K-Beauty sessions will run from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. in the Multipurpose Hall at the Korean Embassy in Santo Domingo, with a maximum capacity of 30 participants per session.
Attendees will learn about current Korean beauty and makeup trends, including a live demonstration inspired by the style of popular K-Pop girl groups.
The beauty workshop will also incorporate a local Dominican perspective. A Dominican makeup artist will participate to share her insights, create a dialogue between Dominican and Korean styles, and highlight their key similarities and differences.
In addition to the practical instruction, stands from commercial companies operating in the beauty sector will be set up during the event.
The K-Beauty sessions will be led by Choi Ji-on, an adjunct professor in the Department of K-Beauty at Woosong University in South Korea. Choi is a makeup specialist with extensive professional and academic teaching experience in the cosmetics industry.
Woosong University, located in Daejeon, South Korea, is known for specialized higher education programmes, including dedicated academic departments focused on the global cosmetics and skincare industry.
Traditional Korean games and product tasting
Traditional games will take over the event schedule on Monday, August 31 and Tuesday, September 1.
These sessions will also take place from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. at the Korean Embassy Multipurpose Hall, with attendance capped at 20 participants per session.
Participants will learn and play several folk games, including ttakjichigi, which is played with folded paper tiles, and jegichagi, a game that involves keeping a small shuttlecock or ball in the air using one's feet.
Attendees will also play biseokchigi, a traditional game where players attempt to knock over standing stones.
The games session will also feature Mugunghwa Kkot-i Pieotseumnida, the traditional Korean game known in Spanish as Red Light, Green Light that gained global recognition through the Netflix television drama Squid Game.
Squid Game, released by Netflix in 2021, became one of the most watched streaming series in history and introduced traditional South Korean children's games to international audiences.
Instruction for the games section will be provided by Lee Myeong-hee, a specialist from the Noriai Education Cooperative. Lee has extensive experience teaching traditional games, folklore, and community activities in schools and educational institutions.
Alongside the games, Korean retail firm K-Mart will organize an exhibition, promotional display, and product tasting featuring authentic Korean food items.
Fusion of K-Pop and Dominican bachata
The final stage of the event brings together Korean popular music dance moves and Dominican bachata on Thursday, September 3 and Friday, September 4.
The workshop on September 3 will take place at the Korean Embassy Multipurpose Hall from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. with space for 30 participants.
The final session on September 4 will move to Muévete Studio in Santo Domingo, accommodating up to 20 participants for a collaborative dance session.
Organisers designed the final meeting at Muévete Studio to allow dancers and participants to experience the direct physical fusion of K-Pop dance choreography and Dominican bachata rhythms.
Kang Il-jung will lead the dance workshops. Kang serves as the deputy director of the Blackcan dance school and director of the Korean Association of Latin Dance, specializing in combining K-Pop choreography with Latin music styles.
Bachata is a genre of Latin music and partner dance that originated in the Dominican Republic during the 20th century and is recognized by UNESCO as part of humanity's intangible cultural heritage. K-Pop, short for Korean popular music, originated in South Korea and features synchronized choreography and diverse musical influences.
Rather than presenting Korean culture as a single monologue, organisers designed the Sejong Cultural Week 2026 to find common ground between South Korean and Dominican artistic traditions through cosmetics, games, and movement.
Registration process and details
Organisers noted that space for all six workshops remains strictly limited due to smaller group sizes.
Members of the public interested in participating can access registration notices and application forms through the official Instagram account of the embassy, @embajadacoreaenrd, or via its official website.
The embassy invited residents of the Dominican Republic to step beyond watching Korean culture on screens and participate directly by learning traditional games, exploring skincare trends, and dancing K-Pop with a local bachata twist.
