The Ploy Pailin Dance Troupe from Thailand performs on the highlight stage of the Andong International Maskdance Festival at the Andong Mask Dance Theater on Thursday as a part of ASEAN-Korea Center’s “ASEAN Culture and Tourism Fair 2013.” (ASEAN-Korea Center)

ASEAN-Korea Center is holding the ASEAN Culture and Tourism Fair 2013, an annual festival of Southeast Asian traditional performances and culture, in two provincial cities, from Oct. 3-6.

Launched in 2009, this year’s event includes performances by about 80 performers from 10 member nations of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations in Andong, North Gyeongsang Province and Jeonju, North Jeolla Province.

Its participation in the local festivals was sponsored by the Korean ministries of foreign affairs and culture, sports and tourism.

The ASEAN troupe, which performed on the highlight stage of the Andong International Maskdance Festival on Thursday, is scheduled to put up a performance in the Jeonju Hanok Village on Saturday as part of the Jeonju International Sori Festival.

On Sunday, the performers will take to the main stage of the closing ceremony of the Jeonju festival in the Sori Arts Center of Jeollabuk-do on Sunday.

Separately from the performances, ASEAN-Korea Center will offer visitors to the Sori Arts Center a chance to appreciate Southeast Asian culture.

Visitors will be able to look around tourism booths for each member country, taste ASEAN coffee and other drinks at its cafe, or please their eyes at an exhibition of photos showing diverse landscapes, time-honored cultural heritages and other colorful scenes of Southeast Asian nations.

An official of the ASEAN-Korea Center said that this year’s festival was taking place in two provincial cities with a reputation for traditional Korean arts and culture to boost balanced exchanges between ASEAN and Korea,.

By Chun Sung-woo (swchun@heraldcorp.com)