During his fieldwork stay in South Korea from September 2024 to June 2025, Research Training Group GRK 2833 “East Asian Futures” Doctoral student Kohei MATSUURA visited Busan, Tongyeong, and Seoul to do research on classical music venues in South Korea.

In Busan, he collected materials at the National Assembly Busan Library, the Busan Metropolitan Library, and at Pusan National University Library. At Pusan National University, he met with Prof. Ji Eun SHIN and talked about research-related literature and trends in Korean cultural policy research. He also visited a local citizens’ organization and obtained materials from public discussion meetings on Busan’s cultural and urban policies. At Busan Dream Space in City Hall, there was an exhibition on Busan’s urban planning for the future of the city.

In Tongyeong, there is Tongyeong Concert Hall, one of Korea’s leading concert halls. MATSUURA gathered materials at the local library and also went to the Isang Yun Memorial Park which is home to an exhibition hall of composer Isang YUN, who was born in Tongyeong and is world famous in his field.

In Seoul, MATSUURA visited the National Library of Korea, Yonsei University Library, and the Shinwol Music Library. During his stay, exhibitions were held at the University of Seoul Museum, titled “Classic Seoul” and “140 Years of Aria,” which gave him insight into the history of performance venues in Seoul.