Some 30 years ago, the Korea National University of Arts, known as K-Arts, was established with a goal to provide top quality education so that Korean students would not have to go abroad to study the arts. It was a goal in which not many believed back them.

After the opening of the music school in 1993, the theater, film, dance, art and traditional arts schools were introduced one after another. Now, K-Arts operates under 26 different departments across six schools -- the Schools of Music, Drama, Film TV & Multimedia, Dance, Visual Arts and Korean Traditional Arts.

So far, more than 14,000 students have graduated from the institution. Since the school's foundation, its students and alumni have received a total of 4,224 awards from domestic and international competitions, including 1,316 first prizes, according to data provided by the school as of October last year.

"For the next 30 years, we want to become an institution sought after by top art students around the world," said Kim Dae-jin, K-Arts president and pianist, during the celebratory event.

The event was supposed to held in October last year but was postponed due to the Oct. 29 crowd crush in Itaewon, Seoul.