KUWAIT: The Korean embassy began Tuesday night, a week of activities at the embassy to introduce authentic Korean culture to Kuwait. "Recently, I have realized that there has been an increasing interest in Korea among Kuwaiti people," said Kyungsik Kim, the ambassador of the Republic of Korea in Kuwait, adding" I think cultural exchange is very important to strengthen bilateral relationships."
The Korean ambassador believes 'Korea Week' will help showcase the many different aspects of Korean culture, and at the same time, help with building joint ties. "My goal is to strengthen our bilateral ties even further. Presently, our relationship is very good, and getting better. Kuwait is one of Korea's most important economic partners," said the ambassador. "Korea is the second largest oil importing country from Kuwait, and Kuwait is Korea's fifth overseas construction market," explains the Korean ambassador about the existing economic ties between the two countries.
Ali Al-Yoha, secretary general of the National Council for Culture, Arts and Letters, provided the opening speech in which he thanked to Korean embassy, community and Kuwaiti volunteers that made the week-long event possible. Al-Yoha emphasized that the focus of Korea Week was to encourage real communication and exchange, saying "we wish to promote a meaningful exchange between Korean and Kuwaiti culture throughout the week. I have been pleased to see that more and more Kuwaitis want to know about Korea and at the same time, more and more Koreans have been eager to know about Kuwait and Arabs."
" We are trying to promote and introduce Korean culture to the local people. We chose the best samples of our culture. This week will help us share our culture with the people in Kuwait," explained Eunjeong Kim, Councilor at the embassy of the Republic of Korea in Kuwait. "I think on this occasion, we have attracted many people and now this is a good opportunity to promote things like business and trade and tourism," she explained.
The Councilor has observed that tourism in Korea has become quite popular and the country is trying to make it simpler for the would-be tourist. "We are trying to get direct flights into the country, but it is not there now. We encourage people to take the shortest way to our country and that stops by Dubai first. The country is not that close but it is worth the trip because our culture is amazing," says the Korean Councilor, adding " For Kuwaiti people going to visit, they will find there are a lot of commonalities between both cultures such as the friendliness of the people also the way people communicate with each other."
The opening ceremony as well as the week-long event features people from the Korean community in Kuwait and some Kuwaiti volunteers displaying their talents and passion for the culture. Booths all over the Korean embassy showcasing Korean culture such as calligraphy, painting, games and fashion. The opening day featured the food festival, with different restaurants displaying authentic recipes and products available in Kuwait. Upcoming events include a Korean product market and charity bazaar, K-pop contest, and a classical music concert performed by Korean students living in Kuwait.
© Kuwait Times 2012
