Ministry to spread Korean culture to teens from 29 countries at 2020 Dream Program

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism announced Thursday that it will hold the 2020 Dream Program with the PyeongChang 2018 Legacy Foundation from Monday to Jan. 18.

This year, 123 teenagers from 29 countries will take part in the program held mainly in Gangwon Province.

“We will spread the Olympic values of fair competition and hard physical training through the 2020 Dream Program. Moreover, we plan to further strengthen cultural and physical exchanges to uphold the legacy of the PyeongChang Olympics,” said Park Yong-chul, an official from the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, in a statement.

The event’s organizer highlighted that changes have been made to this year’s program, which will be held under the new slogan “Inspiring the Next Generation!”

Past editions of the program had targeted summer sports athletes who hoped to become winter sports athletes. From this year, anyone with an interest in Korean culture and sports diplomacy is invited to participate.

Along with two existing sports classes -- experience classes and academy classes -- the organizer has created new advanced classes this year for those who hope to take professional winter sports lessons. This year’s program also provides winter sports classes for coaches.

In addition, the ministry has organized K-pop and Korean dance programs for participants to experience different aspects of Korean culture.

Launched 15 years ago, the Dream Program was created to allow teenagers from countries with warm climates to experience winter sports.

According to the organizer, three athletes -- Paralympic skier Daniel Safari and alpine skiers Elvis Opmanis and Rachel Elizabeth -- who achieved their goals of becoming winter sports athletes through the program will take part in this year’s event to inspire participants.

(ssh@heraldcorp.com)