Korean Cultural Group Promises Bigger Cultural Shows Next Year

The bilateral relations between Korea and the Philippines will reach its 70th year in 2019. With that in mind, the Korean Cultural Center (KCC) in the country plans to come up with bigger cultural shows next year.

“We are planning to create and organize bigger events and projects to celebrate the friendship of two countries,” said KCC Director Lee Jincheol to the Philippine News Agency (PNA).

Director Lee added that they plan to invite several Korean and Filipino performers for this “milestone event.”

KCC together with the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) and the United Korean Community Association (UKCA) staged a cultural show last Saturday evening in Aliw Theater in Pasay City. It served as the final activity for the 27th Philippines-Korea Cultural Exchange Festival.

“Every year, we try to invite different Filipino and Korean traditional performers to showcase the variety of each culture that we have,” said Lee.

World-Class Performances

The event was headlined by the National Folk Dance Company of the Philippines, “Bayanihan,” and the National Gugak Center, which is one of the top performers in their field according to Lee, from Korea’s Ministry of Culture Sports and Tourism.

Performances from Buk Chum-Drum Dancing Team from Cainta Sejong Hakdang, opera-singer “Bless,” Filipino group SB19, and K-Pop group BNF were also enjoyed by the audience.

For the finale, all of the performers sang the Filipino song “Awitin Mo at Isasayaw Ko” but with their own twist. They sang it using Tagalog and Korean languages.

“You can see the efforts of both Korean and Filipinos in learning the Korean and Filipino languages. Their performances show their passion and love for each other’s culture,” said Lee.

A Display of Strong Friendship and Cultural Partnership

The cultural show, according to Director Lee, is to showcase the strong friendship and cultural partnership between both countries.

“The presence of Korea and Korean culture in the Philippines has become stronger. This kind of festival helps the Filipinos and Koreans to understand and appreciate more each other’s culture,” he said.

“Also, the participation of the Filipino youth, who performed using Korean traditional instruments and Korean language is something that makes us, Koreans, proud. Their performance shows the extraordinary talent of Filipinos and their open-mindedness in embracing and learning other cultures,” Lee added.

Overall, Director Lee is elated that many Filipinos and Koreans are looking forward to this yearly event.

“I hope there will be more Filipinos and Koreans who could dedicate their time in performing Korean traditional performances,” he said.

via Philippine News Agency / Ma. Cristina Arayata