by The Korea International Cultural Exchange Promotion Agency (Director Gil-Hwa Jeong), together with the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism (Minister Bo-gyun Park) and the Korea Overseas Culture and Information Service (Director Jang-ho Kim), held the ‘2022 Hallyu Club and Korean Culture Together’ (K-Community Festival) online event on the 20th. hold
For 43 days from last August, the Korea Development Institute held the ‘2022 K Community Challenge’ contest where Hallyu fans worldwide can quickly learn Korean traditional culture. This year, educational videos were shared online with experts in four fields: folk songs, fan dance, Taekwondo, and hanbok, along with famous K-pop singers. As a result, Hallyu clubs from 37 countries, including Europe, the Americas, Asia, and Africa, participated and received significant attention.
A Cuban K-pop singing group expressed the passion for South America and the charm of Hangeul in the lyrics of a folk song with the beautiful scenery of Havana as the background. A K-pop dance club in Mexico drew attention by wearing traditional costumes and performing Korean fan dance moves.
Participants from the Philippines, Turkey, and Kazakhstan, the best teams in the hanbok field, expressed their thoughts on the beauty of hanbok by wearing a variety of hanbok at tourist attractions in each country. Furthermore, videos gathered from all over the world showed the potential of Korean culture to be reinterpreted in harmony with the local culture and also conveyed the passion of Hallyu clubs, who continue their love for Korea from all over the world.
Meanwhile, the best clubs of the three teams selected through this contest were invited to Korea as representatives of traditional Korean culture. During the five-day stay, participants had time to broadly understand Korea through programs such as visiting the Blue House and experiencing Korean food culture.
On the day of the long-awaited performance recording, along with popular K-pop stars BTOB, Weekly, and Lightsome, they performed on the stage of the ‘2022 K Community Festival’ and presented their dream performance.
Agnes, the representative of the Hungarian ‘Dandelion’ team, who sang ‘Kwaeji Na Ching Ching Nane’ while playing the gayageum and violin on the festival stage, said, “It is an honor to present a performance we have prepared with sincerity.”
Alena, the Belarusian ‘Arirang’ team’s representative, showed the harmony of fan dance and her country’s traditional dance with high-level dance skills. She said, “My dream has come true. I am thrilled with the result of the 1st place selection. Furthermore, I am grateful to Korea for giving me various experiences, such as participating in the performance and experiencing Korean culture,” she said happily.
In particular, Anastasia, the representative of Ukraine’s ‘New Generation’ team, where people of various age groups from their teens to their 40s gathered together to show their hopes for peace, said, “Korean culture and Taekwondo give us dreams and hopes. Through the K Community Festival, he visited Korea, received lessons from a respected Taekwondo mentor, and gained various experiences, such as performing on stage. I am grateful to Korea for making my dream come true.” He said, “Although it is difficult, we will continue to promote Korea and Taekwondo widely without stopping.”
The ‘2022 K Community Festival’, created by K-pop stars and clubs worldwide who love Korea, is scheduled to be broadcast on YouTube at 8:00 pm on the 20th.
