Jeonbuk’s tradition and modern style have advanced to the European stage. Jeonbuk Special Self-Governing Province held the ‘2024 Public Diplomacy Festival’ in the Netherlands, a place with a long history as a center of art and culture.
This event was carried out as a program to widely publicize the value of Jeonbuk in Europe through diverse promotional activities that did not stop at promoting Jeonbuk’s rich cultural heritage but also encompassed the industries and tourism sectors.
This event is significant in that it serves as an important first step toward building a sustainable partnership, as it aims to establish the foundation for practical exchange and cooperation between the Jeonbuk Autonomous Province and the Netherlands and further solidify its position on the global stage.
According to the Jeonbuk Autonomous Province, on the 3rd (local time), a public diplomacy activity promoting the charm of Jeonbuk was carried out at Leiden University, which boasts the longest tradition in the Netherlands and was the first in Europe (excluding Russia) to open a Korean studies course.
First, Governor Kim Kwan-young gave a special lecture titled “A Little, Special Cultural Story” to 200 Korean Language Department students and faculty members, introducing the importance of cultural assets that combine traditional and modern values, and the efforts of Jeollabuk-do Province to preserve, inherit, and develop these assets and communicate with the world through culture.
Afterwards, for Korean studies students who wanted to experience Korean culture firsthand, we received advance applications, and held calligraphy lectures such as ‘Making Hangul Rubbings’ and ‘Writing Hangul Names’ hosted by Ho-Am Yun Jeom-yong, the Organizing Committee of the World Calligraphy Jeonbuk Biennale, and a pansori performance and lecture by master singer Cha Bok-sun of the Jeonbuk Provincial Gugak Center, giving the participating students an unforgettable experience.
Also, on the 7th, a ‘Korean Cultural Festival’ was held jointly with the Korean Embassy in the Netherlands.
On this day, approximately 1,000 people including the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ Korean Affairs Officer, diplomats from various countries stationed in the Netherlands, the president of the Korean War Veterans Association, the principal of the Rotterdam Korean School, and the president of the Park Yeon Association attended the event and enjoyed the Korean Cultural Festival.
Part 1 of the event featured the Jeonbuk Promotion Center, Hanji Craft Exhibition Center, and Calligraphy and Hanji Craft Experience Center, while Part 2 featured the opening ceremony and a variety of performances by the Provincial Gugak Center.
The Jeonbuk Promotion Center exhibited various special products that introduced Jeonbuk, including 100 Jeonbuk souvenirs under the theme of ‘Destiny, Love, and Happiness’, and during the event, introduced the charms of Jeonbuk to participants through promotional videos and booklets about Jeonbuk’s representative tourist attractions, major issues, Saemangeum, and festivals.
In addition, various events such as ‘Guess the Jeonbuk Specialty’ and ‘Catch a Gift by Playing Yutnori’ were held for locals, introducing Jeonbuk’s culture and specialty products in a friendly manner and receiving a great response.
The Hanji Craft Exhibition Hall was decorated with the theme of ‘Longing for Hometown and Warm Mother,’ and the mulberry paper dolls and intricately crafted Hanji boxes attracted the attention of visitors.
In particular, by showing a video of the hanji production process, it became an opportunity to effectively promote Jeollabuk-do’s excellent hanji culture to the Netherlands.
At the calligraphy and Hanji craft experience center, programs were held where locals could experience various traditional crafts such as writing Hangul themselves, experiencing rubbings, enjoying Hangul tattoos, and making Hanji fans and trays.
The visitors’ interest and enthusiasm for participation were high as they could experience the charm of Hangul and the excellence of Hanji through the process of writing and making it by hand.
The second part of the event opened with an opening ceremony and a calligraphy performance by Yoon Jeom-yong, executive director of the Organizing Committee of the World Calligraphy Biennale of Jeonbuk.
Following this, various performances were held one after another, including the Jeonbuk Provincial Gugak Center’s traditional dance ‘Buchaechum’, creative dance ‘Beokkuchum’, ‘Sarangga’ from Chunhyangjeon, the song ‘Samdo Seoljanggo’, creative dance ‘The Day You Get Married’, ‘Park Ta-neun Daemyeong’ from Heungboga, and creative dance ‘Pungjang’, showcasing the rich cultural heritage of Jeonbuk in a colorful way.
In his congratulatory remarks, Jeonbuk Special Self-Governing Province Governor Kim Kwan-young said, “I hope that this festival will lead to more active exchanges between Korea and the Netherlands. I hope that this will be a time for all of you to deeply understand and love the cultural heritage of Jeonbuk Special Self-Governing Province.”
Queen Choi Ha Na Reporter
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2024-09-04 16:53:31