Korea Culture Festival reopens in 3 years in Washington

The Korea Culture Festival DC 2022 embarked on Monday at the George Washington University in the U.S. in celebration of the 140th anniversary of the diplomatic relations between South Korea and the United States. Continuing until Dec. 1, the festival will feature a Hanbok fashion show, Hanji (Korean paper) exhibition, Korean literature night, Korean film screening, and the special exhibition of the Korean Empire legation in the U.S., titled “The First Legationary of the Korean Empire to the U.S. Park Jeong-yang.” The festival has reopened three years since its suspension because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

　

Organized by the Embassy of the Republic of Korea in the U.S. and the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism, the opening ceremony was attended by some 40 people from politics, governments, and the culture and art sector of both countries. Minister Park Bo-gyun, Senator Donald Bayer of the Democratic Party of the U.S. (Virginia), and Deputy Assistant Secretary of the U.S. Department of Commerce Mark Keam were among them.

The opening ceremony was celebrated by the performance of the Kukkiwon’s Taekwondo demonstration team. New York’s K-pop dance team “I Love Dance,” Didimsae Korea Traditional Arts Center, and Washington Samulnori also performed at the opening ceremony. The closing ceremony was commemorated by the joint performance of Korea National Contemporary Dance Company and the Washington Ballet under the team of “Korea-U.S. Friendship Night.”

In a congratulatory remark, Minister Park said that thanks to the sacrifice of many U.S. soldiers during the Korean War, South Korea achieved democratization and industrialization, and now Korea is opening an era of cultural prosperity. “I am delightful to hold this wonderful cultural exchange festival in Washington, D.C., where Korean independence fighters advanced the independence movement at the end of the 19th century.” Senator Bayer also highlighted the importance of cooperation between South Korea and the U.S. in response to emerging global challenges, including that from China.


abro@donga.com