Istanbul-Gyeongju Culture Expo plan announced

The Korean cultural pavilion, designed after the Bulguksa Temple in Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang Province, will be one of the attractions at the Gyeongju World Culture Expo, planned for Aug. 31 to Sept. 22 in Istanbul, Turkey. / Yonhap

By Baek Byung-yeul

This year’s Gyeongju World Culture Expo in Istanbul will be the largest ever for the event that started in 1998 to help promote Korea’s culture and heritage in Europe, organizers said Thursday.

In a news conference at the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the Expo’s director Pyo Jae-sun provided a broad-brush picture of the event planned for Aug. 31 to Sept. 22 in the Turkish city.

More than 50 countries are expected to participate in the Expo, under the theme ``Road, Encounter and Companion,’’ and offer programs including exhibitions and cultural events, a movie festival and pop music concerts.

One of the highlights of the expo will be the Korean musical, ``Silla, The Land of the Gods,’’ which will combine traditional Korean music and dance with modern storylines, and staged in different venues in downtown Istanbul.

The Gyeongju World Culture Expo, aimed to be an exposition of global culture, has been held six times since 1998, every two or three years. But this is only the second time it will be hosted in a foreign country, following the 2006 event in Cambodia. There will also be booths for Korean corporations such as POSCO and Hyundai Motor, which expect to use the event as a platform for business discussions.

``We believe that the Istanbul Expo will allow us to set the right pace in promoting Korea’s brilliant cultural heritage to Europe,’’ Pyo told reporters.

North Gyeongsang Province Governor Kim Kwan-yong also attended the news conference and said, ``The expo will open the 21st century’s new Silk Road to connect the world through Istanbul and Gyeongju.”

Talks for hosting the event in Istanbul began when President Abdullah Gul visited Korea in 2010 for a summit with former President Lee Myung-bak. The deal was signed between Kim and Istanbul Mayor Kadir Topbas in last January. For more information, visit www.istanbul-gyeongju.com/en/.