Forum to discuss Korean culture in digital age
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Director Sanjoy Roy / Courtesy of CICI
By Kim Jae-heun
Festival director Sanjoy Roy and jazz vocalist Nah Youn-sun joined Corea Image Communication Institute (CICI) President Choi Jung-wha at the a press conference for the Culture Communication Forum (CCF) at the Woonsan restaurant in Seoul on July 17.
CICI has been holding the CCF since 2010, inviting culture experts from around the world to experience Korea by visiting cultural tourist sites, eating Korean food and watching cultural performances. But perhaps the most important part of the forum is the discussion on the last day, during which the experts share their ideas and opinions about promoting the Korean culture.
Roy and Nah are the delegates from India and Korea, respectively, at this year’s CCF, which is themed “Cultural Combustion in the Smart Age” and will take place from Aug. 31 to Sept. 2.
“Korea was not the first tourist destination for foreigners,” Choi said. “Now, they choose Korea as a place to experience a unique culture. I think singer Psy’s megahit ‘Gangnam Style’ has helped promote Korea to the world. French high fashion brand Louis Vuitton opened its only duty-free store in Korea, and Christian Dior built Asia’s biggest House of Dior in Cheongdam-dong, Seoul.”
Roy, who is the executive director of Teamwork Arts, has planned 23 festivals in 13 countries, including Asia’s biggest annual literary event, the Jaipur Literature Festival, which invites over 200 speakers. He also established Salaam Baalak Trust to provide free education to the 55,000 young illegal laborers in Delhi, India.
“CCF is a very meaningful conference. I was able to find information about Korea through Google, but coming to the country and actually experiencing the culture is totally different. Meeting other international experts in culture is also a great way to discuss the Korean culture. We will be holding a Korean festival in India in December next year and January 2017. I hope to see more cultural exchanges between the two countries through CCF,” Roy said.
Nah, art director for Yeowoorak Festival at the National Theater of Korea, said fostering young talented Korean artists is the first step to promoting Korean music in the world.
“What foreign musicians want to emulate the most in Korean music is the ‘jangdan’ (rhythmic patterns in Korean music). Various musicians from France and Finland have told me that they want to learn ‘jangdan.’ Therefore, I asked (CCF) President Choi about including a one-hour session for playing the Korean instrument ‘janggu’ at the National Theater of Korea to the forum. I hope that the international delegates will feel the dynamism of Korea through the activity,” Nah said.
Apart from Roy and Nah, 12 other global experts in culture will take part in this year’s CCF activities, which include a tour of Bukchon Hanok Village, a traditional village, and visiting fast fashion centers like Garosu-gil Road, Gangnam Station and Coex in Gangnam, Seoul.