Ashraf AboArafe
The Korean Cultural Center (KCC) organized yesterday the closing concert of the Korean Culture Week at the Opera House’s small theatre, where audience enjoyed Korean traditional music as well as “Arirang” performance.
With this concert, the curtain falls on the Korean Culture Week, which was organized in cooperation with the Opera House from 22 to 28 September, in celebrating of the KCC 10th anniversary.
Combining the sounds of traditional Korean instruments, an Egyptian amateur group played some musical pieces that they learned in the Gugak Academy, accompanied by the Korean trainer Park Jae-hyeong, a member of the Korean National Gugak Centre’s Folk Music Group. “Gugak” in Korean language refers to the Korean traditional music that has been passed down through the generations since thousands of years. 40 Egyptian young people took part in the Gugak academy organized by the KCC in cooperation with the Academy of Arts from 15 to 26 September.
The concert concluded with “Arirang” performance presented by Eom ye-jin and Noh yoon-ji, who coached “Arirang” workshop held at the KCC from 23 to 26 September.
Arirang, a popular song that all Koreans know, is designated as an Intangible Cultural Heritage by UNESCO in 2012. The song is estimated to be over 600 years old, and there are over 60 versions of the song in Korea, but they are all filled with feelings of love, sorrow, and hope.
Korean Ambassador Kim Yong-hyon emphasized in his speech that South Korea is very keen on strengthening and deepening ties with Egypt. Ambassador emphasized as well, the important role of public diplomacy in exploring new horizons for cooperation and pushing forward the bilateral ties of the two countries.
The Korean Ambassador said that the Korean Embassy plans to organize a series of events next year as part of its celebration of the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries.
Ambassador noted that the past three decades have contributed to the development of the strong ties between the two countries towards the comprehensive strategic partnership, which makes it a model to be emulated in bilateral relations between countries.
For his part, Oh Sung-ho, Director of the KCC, stressed that the Center will continue its role in enhancing understanding and cultural exchange between the two countries, expressing his hope that next year will witness more cooperation at all levels.
The closing concert, which lasted for 9o minutes, witnessed great audience interaction, as the audience sang “Arirang” with the Korean performers, amid an atmosphere of joy and enthusiasm.
