Foreign students indulge in Korean culture

By Chung Ah-young

Some 640 non-Korean students attending the summer school of Sungkyunkwan University participated in a Korean cultural event at the National Museum of Korea, Seoul, Friday.

Consisting of 180 students from Singapore, 70 from the United Kingdom, 60 from France and the remaining from countries such as Germany and the United States, the group was taught about iconic Korean symbols, the meaning of the founding spirit as well as the national flag and flower.

They also learned about the local etiquette that centers on the traditional value of respecting one’s elders, and took part in hands-on cultural experiences such as wearing “hanbok” (traditional Korean clothing) and tasting local cuisine.

Cultural assets such as the 1,000-year-old Koreana Tripitaka and Hangeul (Korean alphabet), the development of the economy through information and technology, shipbuilding, steel and construction fields and historical sites such as royal palaces and museums were other particular topics of note.

Kim Yong-sook, an official with the Korean Spirit and Culture Promotion Project (KSCPP), organizer of the event, said that interest in the event was greater than ever as it reflected the ongoing K-pop boom in Europe.

“We’ve organized these kinds of events for six years but the enthusiasm was quite lukewarm. The popularity of K-pop in Europe probably contributed to more foreign youths becoming aware of other parts of Korean culture —this year many of the students came from Europe unlike in the past where the participants were mainly from Asia,” Kim said.

“They admired the museum’s collection that featured Korean relics that highlighted our 5,000-year-long history instead of items looted from other countries.”

Kim said that before the Friday event, 54 French students had visited Korea. They attended cultural events at the Asian Art Museum in Bukchon, Seoul, and ate Korean food there.

“They were impressed by our hospitality and after returning home, they joined in the demonstration with French ‘hallyu’ (Korean Wave) fans that couldn’t get tickets for the sold-out performance of SM Town Live Tour in Paris, to urge SM Entertainment to arrange an additional concert there. I think the participants of this (Friday) event will also be good-will ambassadors for Korea when they return home.”

KSCPP is a non-profit organization which has distributed free books on Korean cultural heritage and historical figures in various languages. Since its inception in 2005, it has also held lectures in collaboration with universities around the nation to introduce Korean culture to foreign students studying here.