Frieze, one of the world’s top art fair companies, has announced the September 2022 launch of Frieze Seoul, signifying its belief in the sustained intensity of interest in the South Korean art market. Frieze Seoul marks the company’s entry into Asia and will be its fourth international contemporary art fair, joining those in London (established in 2003), New York (2012), and Los Angeles (2019). Frieze also operates the London-based Frieze Masters, focusing on older works and launched in 2012; it has said that a portion of Frieze Seoul will be devoted to historical works falling under this rubric.

The company is producing Frieze Seoul in collaboration with the Galleries Association of Korea, and the first edition, taking place September 2–5, 2022, will run concurrently with the association’s annual Korean International Art Fair, held at the COEX convention center in Seoul’s Gangnam district. Roughly a hundred galleries are expected to exhibit in the inaugural Frieze Seoul, which is seen as a direct competitor to the relatively established Art Basel Hong Kong.

Frieze had long been rumored to be launching a fair in Seoul, as South Korea’s presence on the global art scene has grown exponentially in the past decade, with international megagalleries establishing outposts there and South Korean galleries reciprocally expanding westward. The city beat out Asian art hot spots including Beijing, Hong Kong, and Shanghai, all of which remain subjects of keen interest from the global art market.

“Seoul is a natural home for Frieze with its extraordinary artists, galleries, museums and collections,” said Frieze board director Victoria Siddall in a statement. “We are honored to be working alongside the Galleries Association of Korea in a spirit of collaboration that is right for our times. Together, we will create an unmissable week in Seoul that brings together galleries from all over the world and celebrates the city’s vibrant art scene.”