Korea Day 2022

Royal hanbok fashion show at the 2022 Korea Day opening ceremony

 

The 2022 Korea Day, organized by the Korean Society in Malaysia, was held from October 28 to 30 at the ground floor and convention hall (6F) of Quill City Mall Kuala Lumpur.

According to the Korean Embassy in Malaysia, Ambassador-designate of the Republic of Korea to Malaysia, Yeo Seung-bae attended the event where 3 local governments from Korea set up 21 booths to promote Korean products.

Korean products promoted at the event

Lee Tae Soo, the chairman of the Korean Society in Malaysia, said for the past 60 years, the Korean Society in Malaysia has been here to play the role in promote Korea to Malaysia.

Lee Tae Soo, the chairman of the Korean Society in Malaysia, said the Korean Society in Malaysia has been here to play the role in promote our nation to Malaysia.

“We shall continue to do our best to provide our utmost support to assist in the cooperation and development between two countries and we hope to grow into a proud organization and its both essential for Malaysia and the Korean community and the model to any and all Korean Societies in many other countries as well,” he said in his welcoming speech at the opening ceremony.

In his speech, Chung Suk Yoon from the Korean Embassy in Malaysia, said that according to the 2021 Survey on Mutual Perceptions of ASEAN and Korean Youths conducted by the ASEAN-Korea Centre, among the countries in ASEAN, young people in Malaysia showed the highest level of interest in Korea.

“(This is) Backed by the popularity of Korean cultural icons and contents like BTS, Blackpink. 

“Feelings are mutual as reflected in the increased number of mutual visits and the greater interest to learn about each other. Malaysia is ranked as one of the top countries most favorably viewed in Korea.

“Most notably, the friendship between our peoples has deepened remarkably over the years,” he said.

He added, in 2019, the total number of visitors between Korea and Malaysia reached the 1 million mark.

“With the relaxed travel restrictions on both sides. We are seeing the number of travelers visiting each other rising again this year.

“We work closely to combat the pandemic by sharing information and experiences.

“In terms of economic relations, last year, the bilateral trade volume exceeded the US$20 billion mark for the first time.

“This year, we are increasing cooperation between Korea and Malaysia,” he said.

Datuk Musa Yusof, the Deputy director General (Promotion) of Tourism Malaysia was also invited to the event. 

“It is indeed an honor to be here as Malaysia and South Korea have enjoyed a long standing and close relationship with bilateral trade and the tourism industry.

“In fact, South Korea has been the primary market for Malaysia since 2015, with Koreans making the top ten international tourist arrivals to Malaysia. 

“We had established our office in Korea, way back 30 years ago in 1992 because of the importance of the market,” he said in his speech.

The 2022 Korea Day, organized by the Korean Society in Malaysia, was held from October 28 to 30 at the ground floor and convention hall (6F) of Quill City Mall Kuala Lumpur. 

Cultural performances

At the opening ceremony, there were cultural performances by the Korea International Young Art Troupe.

The performances include:

Buchaechum Korean traditional fan dance

Buchaechum Korean traditional fan dance

This beautiful formative fan dance created by the Chaechuseon (bamboo weave fan) is influenced by the shaman dance. It is a dance performed by dancers wearing a hanbok (Dangui) and holding a colorful fan decorated with flowers of feathers in both hands. The dance moves and fans of the dancers harmonize with each other to create a beautiful embroidered flower pattern to express the meaning of Bamboo Fan Embroidery Dance.

Chwi Tat Dae

A military band composed of blowing and striking instruments as marching music following the official visits of kings and officials. It contains the wish to defeat the unclean energy and have a good year.

Chwi Tat Dae

Pungmul Nori percussion music

This typical sitting performance by agricultural musicians showcasing the principles of yin and yang with percussion instruments such as Kkwaenggwari (꽹과리), Jing(징), Janggu (장구), and Korean Drum Buk (북).

Sarangga, a love song performed to the Sanjo rhythm.

Creative dance with the motif of the Korean love story Chunhyangjeon

Creative dance with the motif of the Korean love story Chunhyangjeon

Creative dance inspired by Mugunghwa and Taegeukgi

This is a dance to express patriotism for the country where dancers put both hands in front of the Taegeukgi, to announce the prosperity of the country and the status of the country, and to overcome challenging times.

Creative dance inspired by Mugunghwa and Taegeukgi

Daedong Nori (Korean traditional games by farmers)

It is a combination of the artistically sublimated objects of Samulnori and the meaning of Pan-gut, which is alive with the liveliness of the scene. It

gives a three-dimensional impression by harmonizing singing, dance and music. In addition to musical artistry, Samuel Pan-gut is the epitome of artistic prowess.

Daedong Nori

There was also a Royal Hanbok Fashion Show and K-pop cover dances performed to the latest Kpop hits.

Royal Hanbok Fashion Show

Finally, there was a Tae Kwon Do demonstration where practitioners showcased their skills and impressed members of the audience with the Korean martial art.

Taekwondo demonstration

Finally, guests were taken on a tour around the exhibition booths at the ground.

There were also a Korean street food booth selling Korean foods such as kimchi fried rice, dakgalbi gimbap, Korean soy sauce chicken, tteok (rice cakes) and drinks.

Korean street food booth selling Korean foods