by The Korean Cultural Center in the UK (President Lee Jung-woo) held the ‘Alumni Reunion Day’ event to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the K-pop Academy at the Claremont Hotel in London on December 4.
‘K-Pop Academy’ is the Korean culture education program of the Korean Cultural Center in the UK. It was planned to expand the interest of locals who started with K-Pop in 2012 when Psy’s ‘Gangnam Style’ raised awareness of K-Pop in the UK to the whole of Korean culture.
The Cultural Center selects 30 students each spring and autumn every year and invites experts in the UK, such as Oxford and Cambridge University professors, chefs, and K-pop choreographers, as lecturers to provide students with a comprehensive overview of Korean traditional and modern culture every week. have been introduced.
Through the 10-week class, the students participated in experiential workshops and learned about Korean culture by submitting homework on related topics every week. In particular, the 20th K-Pop Academy, held for ten weeks from October of this year, was well-received by students by providing Korean and film classes in connection with the recently popular drama ‘Squid Game’ and the movie ‘Parasite.’
The K-Pop Academy has produced a total of 600 graduates so far this year, and many of them continue their love for Korea in various ways, such as starting their studies related to Korea or getting a job in Korea. He also formed a Hallyu club among the graduates and worked as a Hallyu evangelist. In 2020, ‘My Wave Collective,’ a Hallyu club made up of K-Pop Academy graduates, has been the mainstay and has directly planned and operated the online Hallyu festival ‘Hallyu Con.’
On December 4 was held concurrently with the ’20th K-Pop Academy Graduation Ceremony’. The Cultural Center said, “Due to Corona 19, we notified the preventive measures in advance and limited the capacity to 150 people, but 20% of the participants were the first students who participated in the K-Pop Academy 10 years ago. I could get a glimpse of it,” he said.
At the event, an award ceremony for those who have been active in the spread of the British Hallyu among graduates, a Korean food reception, writing their names in stylish letters, a string quartet from the Royal Academy of Music in England, and a celebration of gayageum players, singer-songwriters and K-pop DJs active in the UK The performance continued.
In addition, Brigadier General Parrot, a veteran of the Korean War, lecturing modern Korean history for about eight years at the K-Pop Academy, attended as a special guest.
Neilja Anibal, a graduate of the K-Pop Academy and member of the Hallyu club, attended the event and said, “For the past ten years, the K-Pop Academy has provided locals with opportunities to learn and actively participate in Korean culture, thereby attracting Hallyu fans across the UK. It played an important role in continuing our activities,” he said.
