Korean Cultural Centers around the world to promote traditional culture

Director of the Korean Cultural Center in Vietnam, Choi Seung Jin, delivered a speech at the 2023 Korean Culture Day in Hội An, Vietnam.

In partnership with organizations such as the National Gugak Center, the Korean Food Promotion Institute and the Korean Foundation for International Cultural Exchange, the initiative will showcase diverse aspects of Korean heritage tailored to reflect the interests and cultural context of each region or country.

"We hope the Korean Cultural Centers abroad will serve as the gateways to promote traditional culture," a ministry official said. "The ministry will provide unwavering support so that the global popularity of Korean pop culture can expand into traditional culture."

The KCC in Osaka, Japan, is hosting a series of craft exhibitions, featuring moon jars, royal paintings, gold leaf gilding, pottery and quilting, changing the display seasonally.

Shanghai centers on "gukak" traditional Korean music, with an exhibition currently underway until June 12, which will be followed by a concert featuring students from the Korea National University of Arts and the Shanghai Conservatory of Music.

A silk lantern exhibition, held in cooperation with Jinju, South Gyeongsang Province, will tour the Philippines in May before traveling to Indonesia in September and Vietnam in October as part of the Touring K-Arts program. In Thailand, lectures on traditional culture will take place throughout the year.

On the European side, the KCC in Belgium is currently showcasing a photo exhibition featuring 21 locals, including Korean adoptees, wearing traditional Korean clothing called "hanbok" in front of major landmarks in Brussels, Antwerp and Dinant. The exhibition will be open until May.

In Germany, a performance is scheduled for August featuring traditional masked dances called "talchum," involving six to 10 performers, for the "taepyeongmu" dance wishing for national peace, and a musical performance featuring the 12-string Korean zither known as the gayageum.

In Italy, an exhibition on traditional Korean "hanji," or mulberry paper, will take place in June, followed by a hanji dyeing workshop in cooperation with the Vatican Museum. In France, Sweden and Austria, the KCC will offer Korean traditional music classes; while a craft exhibition is scheduled to take place in Spain starting late May. In Hungary, the "Royal Palace — Korean Traditional Embroidery" exhibit will be held from April to July, and in the U.K., Turkey and Russia, local people can have Korean culinary experience

In the Americas, the KCC in Washington, D.C. will introduce "ssireum," a form of traditional Korean wrestling, in October in collaboration with the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Asian Art, and will hold a kimchi-themed event to commemorate the U.S. capital's Kimchi Day on Nov. 22.

In Los Angeles and Ottawa, exhibitions on "najeonchilgi," traditional Korean laquerware inlaid with mother-of-pearl, will be presented in August and October, respectively.

In Brazil, the KCC will publish a book on Korean traditional cuisine and hold an accompanying exhibition in the second half of the year. In Argentina, a culinary course will give locals a chance to try traditional Korean ingredients and learn recipes.

In Sydney, the KCC will host a cooking class featuring traditional Korean sweets made with tangerines from Jeju Island. In Nigeria and South Africa, the KCC will promote traditional culture through food, hanbok and craft events.