K-Festival 2014 @ Malaysia 2014 to ignite the K-Imagination

*photos and videos available at my coverage of the opening festival.

In tandem with Korea Tourism Organization's (KTO) newly launched tagline “Imagine Your Korea” during an Opening Ceremony together with the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism from Korea, KTO will be hosting the first ever K-Festival 2014 @ Malaysia to ignite the K-Imagination of Hallyu (Korean wave) fans in Malaysia.

With the growing influence of all things Korean and Hallyu becoming part and parcel of the Malaysian lifestyle, KTO aims to set their imagination alight with an exciting experiential showcase of K-Culture, K-Beauty, K-Food, K-Trend, K-Tech, K-Pop and K-Performance from August 8 - 10, 2014 at Centre Court, Pavilion Kuala Lumpur. This multi-sensorial showcase is timely in view of the Hallyu craze that has taken Malaysia by storm since the legendary K-drama Winter Sonata was aired, establishing Korea as one of the most popular destinations with local holiday makers including Malaysian Muslim travelers. KTO is banking on Hallyu's widespread appeal to draw even more travelers and Hallyu fans to visit dynamic and progressive Korea through the forthcoming K-Festival @ Malaysia event.

Wondrous K-Beauty Experiences

The essence of Korean beauty (K-Beauty) are reflected in the key elements of its national flag: a red and blue yin-yang symbol in the center flanked by four black trigrams, one in each corner against a white background; symbolizing the purity and balance of the universe anchored by the principles of movement and harmony. As such, the Korean identity firmly adheres to three main aspects:

기      [Gi / 氣] meaning “Spirit, energy”

- For example, Korean food usually comprises five colors to denote water, earth, metal, fire and wood as in Bibimbap, a bowl of steamed rice with five different colors of toppings

- the seven wonders of Nature in Korea

흥      [Heung / 興] meaning “Fun, pleasure, joy, excitement”

 – reflected in K-Pop, K-Performance, K-Tech

정      [Jeong / 情] - “Affection, warmth compassion”

 – K-Drama

K-Festival will enable Hallyu fans to experience K-Beauty through various interactive highlights that encapsulate those aspects. After the opening ceremony, event attendees can hunt for special K-Tour Hot Deals on flights, hotels, free & easy packages and ground tours from AirAsiaGo, Expedia and other participating travel agents. Buyers will also receive special souvenirs for their purchases.

Free consultation will be available for wedding couples at the K-Wedding exhibition with one lucky winner getting a chance to don an elaborate wedding costume in a special photography session. K-Beauty enthusiasts can enjoy two different K-Beauty interactive experiences onsite. One will feature digital 'Hand Therapy' with a 3D television and touch screen monitor to diagnose individual body condition followed by a serving of Korean tea to suit each diagnosis. The second will be focused on Korea's traditional medical and wellness programs from Medical Palace.

K-Festival will also highlight dynamic K-performances on stage featuring special appearances by four members of the K-pop band MBLAQ: Seung Ho, G.O., Cheon Dung and MIR together with HAHA, one of the stars from the highly popular television reality-variety show Running Man. Local dance talents and finalists of the K-pop cover dance competition: MyKTQ2014 Finale – Malaysian Dance Competition will be strutting their nifty moves followed by a dazzling Korea's Royal Hanbok Fashion Show.

K-artists Painters Hero will take performing arts to entertaining new levels with their lightning-quick artistic skills and non-verbal performances complemented by upbeat music. A melodious Kayarang (Korean zither, a traditional musical stringed instrument) performance will add to the K-Culture experience in addition to Korean food cooking demonstrations and tasting.

For K-Technology fans, the LED and interactive kiosk will proffer hands-on game-playing and photo-taking zones featuring Korea's advanced interactive technology. The trendiest Korea fashion will lure the hip and trendy fashionistas to the K-trend exhibition.

The K-Festival 2014 @ Malaysia is organized by Korea Tourism Organization and supported by the Embassy of the Republic of Korea. 

Website: www.visitkorea.com.my

Facebook: Korea Plaza KL