220,000 vouchers for 10,000 won off autumn performances, released every Tuesday at 10am

Key points

• The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, with the Korea Arts Management Service and Arts Council Korea, is distributing 220,000 vouchers worth 10,000 won each toward performance tickets from 1 September to 30 November.
• Five ticketing sites take part: Naver Reservation, NOL, Yes24, Timeticket and Ticketlink. Each gives two vouchers per person, first come first served, released weekly from 10am on Tuesday until midnight the following Monday.
• Two further vouchers per person are available for venues outside the Seoul metropolitan area at four of the sites, and regional arts centres run a separate on-site discount for older visitors, people with disabilities and other groups.

Anyone planning an autumn theatre trip can knock 10,000 won off the ticket. The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism announced that from 1 September it is distributing 220,000 vouchers, each worth 10,000 won toward a performance ticket, through online ticketing sites and regional arts centres, together with the Korea Arts Management Service and Arts Council Korea. It is the second batch, following a first distribution that began on 22 May, and is funded by 4.1 billion won from a supplementary budget set aside to widen access to the performing arts.

The online vouchers come from five sites: Naver Reservation, NOL, Yes24, Timeticket and Ticketlink. Each site gives two per person on a first come first served basis, so someone registered with all five can collect up to ten. The release pattern is worth noting. Rather than all at once, the vouchers are issued week by week from 1 September to 30 November: a new round opens at 10am every Tuesday and closes at midnight the following Monday. This week's round opened at 10am on Tuesday 8 September. A round ends early if a site runs out of its allocation, and any voucher collected but not used expires when its period ends.

The vouchers apply to performances with a viewing date up to 30 November in theatre, musicals, Western classical music, Korean traditional music, dance and mixed genres. Popular music and popular dance are excluded. The threshold is the total payment, not the price of a single seat, so a voucher can be used on a cheaper show as long as the final amount exceeds 15,000 won. The ministry says the vouchers are intended to stack with discounts the ticketing sites already run. Two limits apply: they work only for online booking, not at the box office, and a used voucher is restored if the booking is cancelled.

Audiences outside the capital region get two extra layers. First, a separate voucher usable only for performances at venues outside Seoul, Gyeonggi and Incheon is issued at Naver Reservation, Yes24, Timeticket and Ticketlink, two per person, on top of the general allocation. Eligibility follows the venue's address, not where the buyer lives. Second, regional arts centres offer an on-site discount for people less comfortable booking online: visitors aged 55 and over, people with disabilities, low-income households, farmers and fishers, and school groups get 10,000 won off each ticket bought at the box office for the centre's own programmed performances priced above 10,000 won. The participating centres and performances are listed on KOPIS, Korea's performing-arts database.

Anyone who used a voucher in the first round can apply again. Minors qualify if they hold an account in their own name at a ticketing site, and foreign residents qualify once they have completed identity verification and registration. For those who find online booking difficult, the Korea Arts Management Service runs a telephone helpline (02-708-2217, 02-708-2257), and each ticketing site's customer centre can also explain how to collect a voucher. A ministry official said they hoped the vouchers would bring the performing arts closer to everyday life this autumn, for families and friends alike.

Scheme at a glance

On-site discount at regional arts centres

When and where can I get a voucher?

From 1 September to 30 November, at 10am every Tuesday, through Naver Reservation, NOL, Yes24, Timeticket and Ticketlink. Each site gives two per person, first come first served, and each round closes at midnight the following Monday or earlier if the allocation runs out.

How many vouchers can one person collect?

Two at each of the five sites, so up to ten in total. A further two per person for performances at venues outside the Seoul metropolitan area are available at Naver Reservation, Yes24, Timeticket and Ticketlink.

Which performances qualify?

Theatre, musicals, Western classical music, Korean traditional music, dance and mixed-genre performances with a viewing date up to 30 November. Popular music and popular dance are excluded. The total payment must exceed 15,000 won, and the voucher works only for online booking, not at the box office.

Can I apply again if I used one in the first round?

Yes. Anyone who used a voucher from the first distribution, which began on 22 May, can collect from the second. Minors qualify with an account in their own name, and foreign residents once identity verification and registration are complete.

What if I cannot book online?

Regional arts centres give 10,000 won off each box-office ticket for their own programmed performances to visitors aged 55 and over, people with disabilities, low-income households, farmers and fishers, and school groups. The participating centres are listed on KOPIS, and the Korea Arts Management Service helpline (02-708-2217, 02-708-2257) or any ticketing site's customer centre can explain how to collect a voucher.