PERMIT aims to turn Korean DMZ into cultural destination via new festival project

Deep in the northeast corner of South Korea, where Seoraksan's mountains connect with the East Sea, lies Goseong; the only county in the country divided by the Korean demilitarised zone.

Known primarily for military checkpoints, Goseong County will work alongside PERMIT and The Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany in South Korea to change that through SUNN Festival and an expansive local rebranding. On Friday, July 3, 2026, that vision goes public.

The Goseong Specialised Culture Strategy International Forum, held at the National Assembly Goseong Training Centre, will bring together figures from Korea and Germany to discuss how the border region can be developed as a cultural asset.

Tresor Berlin founder Dimitri Hegemann, whose participation reflects the Korea-Germany cultural thread running through the project, will also be sharing valuable insight on cultural strategy best practices via a pre-recorded video interview which will be screened at the event.

"A line doesn't only divide, a line connects. We want to take the border that has always meant separation and treat it as a stage instead of only a line of control," says Joon Kwak, Director of PERMIT.

Berlin is the reference point. "When the Wall came down, techno didn't just happen to appear in the rubble. It became the city's identity," Kwak says. "That's why Dimitri Hegemann's voice belongs in this conversation, and why we're tying SUNN to that lineage so directly," he continues.

The festival is planned to launch on German Unity Day, which falls on October 3.

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For most Koreans, Goseong reads as "변방"; the periphery or end of the line. Kwak describes the gap between the perception and reality of this place: "People see Goseong through a lens of absence, what it is cut off from and what it lacks, rather than what it actually is. And what it actually is is one of the most dramatic landscapes in the country," he says.

He underlines: "That contradiction is exactly the thing we want to turn around."

The project grew from a collaboration between Goseong County and PERMIT, which was brought in to lead the cultural and international dimension.

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For over two years, PERMIT has collaborated with the German Embassy through its Techno Diplomacy program, bringing projects such as Nik Nowak's sound installation to Seoul, and recently hosting a talk on creative hubs at Kockiri.

Kwak is clear about the goal for this project: "The intention is to build a sustainable cultural ecosystem with local creators in Goseong, not just import ours for one festival and leave."

Daniela Solano is a freelance writer for Mixmag Asia, follow her on Instagram here.

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