The International Mask Arts & Cultural Organization (IMACO) was established in Andong, Korea in 2006 under the agreement of 40 organizations in 24 countries related to world masks to promote friendship through close exchanges of cultural artists and organizations related to the masks of each nation and region, to respect the mask-related tradition and creative culture of each cultural area based on UNESCO’s cultural diversity, and to make the future culture creative by protecting and passing down the local mask arts and establishing, researching, and developing the archive.
In order to respect the values that UNESCO is aiming for, IMACO steadily practices the values through their inter-member network, mask-related cultural organizations, museums, researchers, networks between mask craftsman, and networks between mask-related event organizations. Currently, 143 organizations from 63 countries are registered as members of IMACO. As an accredited NGO by UNESCO, IMACO is performing its role and mission enthusiastically.

Andong is the home of Confucian culture and houses the largest collection of Confucian cultural assets in the country. Especially, Hahoe Village, which has been preserved for hundreds of years, has been designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Hahoe Mask Dance Drama (National Intangible Cultural Property No. 69), which has been passed down over 800 years, and the Hahoe Mask (National Treasure No. 121) have become icons of Korean culture. The Andong Maskdance Festival has shared mask contents, a universal culture, and transformed them into a festival. It used the Hahoe Mask Dance Drama, performed for the peace of Hahoe Village 800 years ago, to create the Andong Maskdance Festival, presenting the dreams and hopes of people around the world. Since it was first held in 1997, it has grown to become the top festival in Korea for 8 years, the first Korean representative festival, and the first global festival in Korea with its wonderful reputation.
The mask is a universal cultural symbol of mankind and a rich cultural resource that reveal the characteristics of each nation. Various forms and functions of the mask exist in each culture. Therefore, there is nowhere that the mask does not exist. The mask, a collective of each culture, region, life, community, and personal taste, is the best demonstration of the cultural diversity of UNESCO. Archiving these masks and related data in an organized manner will be another form of the peace that humanity is aiming for. IMACO was established to aid the future culture to remain creative by faithfully collecting, studying, and systematically organizing this cultural symbol, the mask, which contains the characteristics of each culture that humanity has accumulated.