Jan. 29 is the nation’s first “indulge-in-culture” Wednesday, when public cultural establishments, such as museums, concert halls and palaces, offer free admission or whopping discounts.

Dubbed “Culture Wednesday,” the program is part of a government plan to enrich the lives of Koreans, notorious for being workaholics, with arts and culture. It runs on the last Wednesday of each month.

“We hope that people from all walks of life will be able to enjoy culture on Culture Wednesdays, to say the least,” said Na Jong-min, a director at the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism. “It will eventually boost the demand for culture, thus boosting the cultural industry of Korea,” he added.

The government even encouraged the private sector to participate. Many companies have joined the program, offering special discounts on movies, concerts, sports tickets and other events.

Here are some of the special benefits on offer this Wednesday.

Movies starting between 6 p.m and 8 p.m. at large cinema chains CJ CGV, Lotte Cinema and Megabox, as well as some smaller establishments, will be priced at 5,000 won per person, down from a normal 8,000 won.

A 50 percent discount will be given to those bringing preschool children to basketball and volleyball games.

The “Korean Fantasy,” a Korean classical dance and performing arts show, will be performed at the National Theater of Korea entirely free of charge.

Seoul Arts Center will cut ticket prices by 30 percent for about 300 seats for the Korean musical “Hero.”

The National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, the Seoul National Science Museum and a slew of other museums ― both public and private ― will be offering free admission as well.

Gyeongbokgung, Changdeokgung and Deoksugung palaces and other historic sites will be open for free.

To find out more about the program, visit www.culture.go.kr/wday.

By Lee Sun-young (milaya@heraldcorp.com)