The Korean Cultural Festival 2017 to be held on July 1

To celebrate the 40^th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between Korea and Sri Lanka this year, the Embassy of the Republic of Korea, the National Unification Advisory Council South West Asia Chapter, the Korean Residents Association of Lanka, and the Korean Businessmen’s Association in Sri Lanka are co-organizing a variety of programmes on two separate occasions – in July and November.

 In recent years, with the growing popularity of the ‘Korean Wave’, epitomized by K-Dramas and K-Pop, many Sri Lankans including young people have shown a deep interest in Korean culture and language. Responding to this love for Korean culture, the Embassy has organized the annual Korean Cultural Festival over the last few years. And it has proved to be a successful way to further deepen the friendship and goodwill between Korea and Sri Lanka.

The Korean Cultural Festival 2017 will be on July 1at the Bishop’s College Auditorium. This event is organized in partnership with the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Wayamba Development and Culture Affairs of Sri Lanka, and the Sri Lanka Rupavahini Corporation.

  The 2017 Festival consists of two main events: (1) the Quiz-on Korea and (2) the K-Pop World Festival. The Quiz-on Korea (13:30 – 16:00 on July 1) is a survival quiz competition where the questions will be on generic topics on Korea, including Korean lifestyle, traditional culture, history and language. The winner will be invited to learn and experience Korea this September, and compete with national representatives from different countries around the world to win the top prize. The K-Pop World Festival (17:00 – 19:30 on July 1) is a K-pop performance competition, for which the Embassy has invited talented Sri Lankan vocalists and/or dancers to show their K-pop spirit on stage. Winning team(s) will stand the chance to go to Korea for the final round and compete internationally this September, following a screening process. They will also be able to meet and perform together with K-Pop stars.

The Korea Week will start on the 40^th anniversary day (November 14) and go until the 19^th with cultural performances of Nanta* (BMICH November, 14-15). NANTA, derived from the traditional Korean instrumental performance “Samulnori”, is a musical performance gaining popularity worldwide. There will also be the Korean Film Festival 2017 (NFC Theatre, November), the Korean Cultural Experience Event and the Korean Language Speech Contest, an issuance of commemorative stamps (November 14), a television documentary screening on the diplomatic ties (Rupavahini TV, November), and the Korean Ambassador’s and Kukkiwon Cup Taekwondo Championship.

 Meanwhile, celebrating the 40^th anniversary of diplomatic ties, the Korea Navy Cruise Training Task Group is also scheduled to visit Colombo Port (October 26-29).