Park Jin-hai primarily focuses on K-dramas, entertainment shows and actor interviews. Beyond that, she also pens articles covering the broader arts scene, with a particular emphasis on classical music, dance and various aspects of lifestyle. Since joining The Korea Times in 2013, she has made significant contributions in the realms of hallyu (Korean wave), industry news and international affairs.
Gyeongju to host expo in Istanbul
Istanbul Mayor Kadir Topbas, fifth from left; Kim Kwan-yong, center, governor of North Gyeongsang Province; and other officials pose at the launching ceremony of the organizing committee for the Istanbul-Gyeongju World Culture Expo 2013 in Istanbul, Turkey on Jan. 17. / Courtesy of Istanbul-Gyeongju World Culture Expo 2013
By Park Jin-hai
By Park Jin-hai
The Istanbul-Gyeongju World Culture Expo 2013 will take place in Istanbul, Turkey, in August.
This year’s event, titled “Road, Encounter and Companion,” will be jointly organized by the North Gyeongsang Province and Gyeongju City from Aug. 31 to Sept. 22 in and around the Turkish city.
It is the city’s second expo to be held away from home, following a previous one in Cambodia in 2006.
Although the Culture Expo has been hosted six times since 1989, this year’s event has additional significance.
Both Gyeongju and Istanbul boast of over a 1,000-year history and equally rich cultural relics as the “cradle of civilization” and “roofless museum,” respectively.
“In addition, Istanbul and Gyeongju are the starting and the end point on the Silk Road,” Kim Kwan-yong, co-chair of the organizing committee and governor of North Gyeongsang Province, said in a recent statement.
“The Expo will open the 21st century’s New Silk Road to connect the world through Istanbul and Gyeongju,” Kim said.
Saint Sophia Cathedral in Istanbul, Turkey, is seen in this file photo.
People from over 50 countries from Asia, Europe and America are expected to attend and the committee plans to run about 30 programs to showcase Korean traditional culture and the beauty of the ancient city of Silla.
The Korea Culture Pavilion will highlight the meeting of Korea and Turkey on the Silk Road and the experiences they have shared since.
Programs include; “Flying,” a mime performance; “Silla, The Land of Gods,” a musical that features various Korean traditional music and dance performances; Korean martial arts “Taekwondo” performance; Korean traditional clothes fashion shows; and even B-boy and K-pop stars performances to offer a variety show to quench the thirst of locals for Korean culture.
Exhibitions of leading Korean photographers, showing the beauty of the ancient city, and exchanges of artists between the two countries will also be on offer.
Korea Creative Content Agency (KOCCA) recently joined the crew to work with the organizing committee to help Korean companies to export hallyu (the Korean wave) content to Turkey.
“Turkey is the gateway to Europe. To enter the European market, K-culture should blossom in Turkey first,” said an official of the agency.
The agency will host a road show and have booths to link potential buyers and content providers during the expo.
Turkey also showed immense interest in the upcoming expo. Turkish TV hosts visited Korea in April and May to cover cultural heritage as well as the update and the proceedings of the Expo.
“We also regard the expo as a meaningful event and hope more people get interested in Korea,” said a visiting Turkish reporter.
“When the program is aired in May or June, it will not only promote the expo but also increase the Turkish tourists coming to Korea,” he added.
Some Turkish living here expressed great expectation for the forthcoming event.
“Korean dramas ‘You’re Beautiful’ and ‘Boys Over Flowers’ were aired on Turkish TV several years ago. I really like Jang Geun-suk and Lee Min-ho,” said over-excited Daygu Ozkoc, a Turkish university student studying in Korea, as if the names of those stars were enough to excite her.
“Those Korean dramas have great appeal to the Turkish, who think western dramas are developing the love line too soon and too explicitly,” she added.
For her Korea is not a distant country at all. Her grandfather fought with Koreans as comrades during the Korean War (1950-53) and he has talked about the warm and special “blood brotherhood” since after. And that made her to come and study in Korea.
“If the K-dramas initiated hallyu among the young generation, Psy expanded the border to include children. I feel emotionally close to Korea,” said Duygu.