Seoul Friendship Festival celebrates global culture in heart of capital

Han Seung-chul, a 35-year-old trade worker, couldn’t help but let out a satisfied exclamation after biting into a Paraguayan hot dog topped with a well-smoked sausage and cilantro at a food booth during the Seoul Friendship Festival, Sunday.

“As someone who loves cooking, I really enjoy trying foods from around the world,” Han told The Korea Times. “And this is one great hot dog.”

He added that he had also attended a previous edition of the festival — one of the capital’s most iconic events, where visitors can experience a wide range of cultures in one place.

This year’s festival took place Saturday and Sunday at Seoul’s Dongdaemun Design Plaza (DDP), featuring embassies and cultural centers from 67 countries. Visitors sampled global cuisines from Asia, the Middle East, Europe and beyond, while trying on traditional clothing and playing cultural games from around the world.

First held in 1996, the festival promotes cultural exchange between Seoul and cities worldwide, giving locals and visitors a chance to experience diverse cultures. Last year’s event, held at Gwanghwamun Square and Cheonggye Plaza, drew about 270,000 attendees.

This year’s festival took place at DDP for the first time, a venue that has recently emerged as a popular destination among foreign visitors. In the city government’s survey last year of 2,500 international visitors, the site ranked fourth among Seoul’s top landmarks — after Gwanghwamun, the royal palaces and the Han River. Since opening in 2014, it has attracted over 100 million visitors.

During Saturday’s opening ceremony, Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon emphasized the importance of the festival, expressing hope that it would bring Seoul and the world closer together.

“Culture is the most natural language that connects us. I hope this festival becomes a meaningful moment that shines with diversity and charm,” Oh said. “This is a time for sharing our differences, laughing and coming together — a reflection of the future Seoul aspires to.”

Booths offering culturally themed programs welcomed visitors throughout the festival. At stations featuring traditional costumes, guests could try on outfits from countries such as Mexico, Peru, Japan and China. Nearby, game booths invited visitors to play folk games from Mexico, India and Indonesia.

On stage, 10 international groups performed, brought together by Seoul’s sister cities and recommended by foreign embassies in Korea. The lineup featured traditional acts from Laos and Indonesia, instrumental and dance performances from China, traditional Thai dance and a taiko drum show from Japan.

This year also marked the 30th anniversary of Seoul’s sister-city ties with Ulaanbaatar, the capital of Mongolia, celebrated with a special performance by Mongolian musicians, singers and dancers.

On Sunday, a powerful performance by a Maori troupe from New Zealand echoed through the venue, drawing a large crowd to the stage.

“I always thought New Zealand was all about British culture since it started as a British colony, but I discovered a whole new culture today,” said Lee Hyun-ro, a 29-year-old office worker.

But culture extended beyond the stage, filling the festival grounds with the aromas and flavors of global cuisines. This year’s event featured food booths from 50 countries, offering everything from familiar favorites like Belgian waffles to lesser-known dishes in Korea, such as Moroccan kofta — spiced ground meat shaped and grilled — bringing a wide array of international flavors together in one place.

Visitors also sampled sweet treats such as Ecuadorian empanadas, Paraguayan guava juice and Colombian coffee. At the Korean food booth, the Korea Foundation and the Busan Tourism Organization teamed up to showcase specialty products from the country's southern regions.

Continuing last year’s efforts, the festival promoted eco-friendly practices by cutting back on disposable products and encouraging reusable containers, in cooperation with participating embassies.

The area around the food booths was so crowded that it was difficult to move. Among the visitors was Daniel Goreng, a 25-year-old software researcher from Israel, enjoying a charcoal-grilled beef skewer with a side of guacamole.

“I was just walking around and saw all these stalls with global exhibits — it looked so happy and interesting to me,” he said. “I’ve met people from all over the world here, and everyone’s been so open and willing to talk.”

At embassy promotion booths representing 52 countries, visitors could purchase souvenirs and specialty products from regions far from Korea, including South America, Africa and the Middle East.

“We hope the festival will give citizens and tourists a chance to experience the charm of global Seoul,” said Lee Hae-sun, director-general of the Global City Policy Bureau at the city government. “We’ll continue working closely with foreign embassies and diplomatic missions, and strengthen exchanges with international cities to ensure this becomes Seoul’s flagship global festival in both name and reality.”