Global acts and K-comedy expansion highlight festival's push as Asian hub 

[OSEN=Kang Seo-jung Reporter] The 14th Busan International Comedy Festival (hereinafter referred to as BICF) is set to deliver abundant laughter to audiences.

Spanning ten days from August 21 to 30 across Busan, the 14th BICF promises an even richer festival experience, featuring performances that encompass the history and present of Korean comedy, as well as global stages with international artists. This year’s BICF highlights its unique points of interest.

#‘The Return of Legends’ Announced! Special Programs Celebrating the History and Significance of Comedy!

This year’s BICF centers on the keyword “The Return of Legends.” The “Galgali Gag Concert: The Return of the Legends,” featuring comedians who led the golden era—Park Jun-hyung, Sim Hyun-seop, Park Sung-ho, Im Hyuk-pil, Park Young-jin, and Kim Ji-hye—alongside a performance of Korea’s representative open comedy program “Gag Concert,” will meet audiences.

Additionally, the “Kim Hak-rae and Lee Yong-sik Big Chaos Talk Show,” commemorating the 100th anniversary of the late comedy master Koo Bong-seo’s birth, and “The Jeon Yoo-seong Show Without Jeon Yoo-seong,” which revisits the unique comedic spirit of Jeon Yoo-seong, will provide a special time to reflect on the history and meaning of Korean comedy.

#‘Beyond Korea to the Global Stage’ Diverse Performances Transcending Genres and Borders!

The performance spectrum has expanded further. It will satisfy audiences’ tastes with various genres, including stand-up comedy, monologues, sketches, non-verbal performances, musical comedy, and talk shows.

International performances also draw attention. Global comedy stages rarely seen in Korea, such as the French performance “Mime de Rien” and “Double,” will greet audiences. In particular, “Double,” featuring FISM World Magic Champion Norbert Ferré and Korean comedy magician Kim Min-hyung, is expected to offer a fresh blend of K-comedy and global performance.

#The 14th ‘BICF’ Establishes a Foundation to Leap as an Asian Comedy Hub

As Asia’s first international comedy festival, BICF has worked to spread Korean comedy culture over the past 14 years by presenting diverse comedy content to citizens.

Since 2024, it has been promoting a comedy talent development project linked with local universities. Plans are also underway to organically connect creation, education, and production through the establishment of a dedicated comedy theater. The festival has presented a blueprint to enhance the competitiveness of the K-comedy industry and leap forward as an Asian comedy hub by building an ecosystem for comedy content production and distribution centered in Busan. /kangsj@osen.co.kr