Embassy of the Republic of Korea to Norway
– April 2015
Dear Reader,
In News from Korea this month, we present the following articles:
Opening of Scandinavian Memorial Center in Seoul
Korea offers 1 million US dollars in relief aid to Nepal
UNESCO World Education Forum 2015
Seoul International Book Fair
Korean culture program for foreigners
Taste of Korea cooking course
K-pop dance classes in Oslo
Opening of Scandinavian Memorial Center in Seoul
The official opening ceremony of the Scandinavian Memorial Hall took place in early April. It was attended by many officials, including Korean Ambassador to Norway Byunghwa Lee and Norwegian Ambassador Torbjørn Holthe.
Other distinguished guests, including high level representatives from various
organizations such as the National Assembly, the Korea Foundation, Seoul Medical Centre, also attended the opening ceremony. The Scandinavian Memorial Hall
commemorates the support from Norway, Denmark and Sweden in the establishment of the National Medical Center in the aftermath of the Korean War. The hall was
established on the site where the service members of the original medical mission lived and served. The Hall serves as a reminder to Korea and the Scandinavian countries of their shared history and as Korea’s promise to share the great affection which they had received.
For more information, see http://www.norsk-koreansk.no/411909215
Korea offers 1 million US dollars in relief aid to Nepal
The day after Nepal was hit by a 7.8-magnitude earthquake, which left thousands of people dead and even more injured, Korea said it would provide 1 million US dollars in emergency humanitarian aid. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Seoul also said that it is considering offering to give other assistance to Nepal, such as sending a team for emergency relief.
“Our government would like to extend our deep condolences and solace to the Nepali government and the people regarding the loss of many people and properties and the damage to cultural heritage,” said Ministry Spokesperson Noh Kwang-il. “We express our hope that damages will be quickly recovered and the Nepali people can quickly emerge from their shock and sorrow.”
Furthermore, the Korean Red Cross will also give 100,000 US dollars in aid and plans to send an emergency relief team as well as nearly 10,000 blankets and almost 3,500 relief kits consisting of daily necessities.
The Foreign Ministry in Seoul has confirmed that at least three Koreans were injured.
For original article, see http://www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20150426000263
UNESCO World Education Forum 2015
The World Education Forum (WEF) will take place 19-22 May 2015 in Incheon, Republic of Korea. UNESCO will be leading the forum together with six conveners to build a strong new education agenda that aims to transform lives. The objectives of the WEF include (1) take stock of achievements and shortfalls related to the implementation of the Dakar Framework for Action and the education-related Millennium Development Goals from 2000 until 2015,
(2) come together on a joint position for the goals of education and targets in the agenda after 2015, which will be used by the UN Member States at a Summit in September 2015,
(3) settle on an extensive Framework for Action to guide and support the implementation of the future education agenda.
For more information, see https://en.unesco.org/world-education-forum-2015/ and http://www.unesco.org/new/en/World-Education-Forum-2015
Seoul International Book Fair
Norwegian Literature Abroad (NORLA) will participate in the Seoul International Book Fair for the first time this year. The book fair will take place 17-21 June 2015. A Norwegian literature day is being arranged by the Embassy of Norway in Korea together with NORLA where there will be meetings with the writers and knitting performance, as well as other cultural events.
There has been a steady increase in Norwegian books translated to Korean and
released in Korea. Particularly popular is the Norwegian author Jo Nesbø, whose book Devil’s Star is currently being released in sequences for the promotional event on the Korean portal site Daum. Nesbø was met by many enthusiastic fans when he visited Seoul last year.
For more information, see http://sibf.or.kr/en/main/, http://norla.no/en/activities/29, https://ko-kr.facebook.com/SeoulBookFest and
http://www.norway.or.kr/News_and_events/Current-affairs/Culture/Steady-increase-in- Norwegian-books-to-South-Korea/#.VT8yHNLtlBd
Korean culture program for foreigners
The Korea Foundation has launched a program called the Koreans and Foreigners Together Program that intends to connect Koreans and foreigners through culture and language.
Foreigners can participate in activities where they experience Korean culture, while Koreans can take part in programs to acquire more global knowledge. Those who participate have the
opportunity to interact with each other through events such as field trips, film, art and music arrangements, as well as language courses.
An American Korea enthusiast, Mandy McManners believes that the program is very welcoming to foreigners as Koreans are usually quite shy about approaching foreigners.
Her interest in Korean culture started about seven years ago through Korean soap operas and variety shows. The interest escalated to K-pop and Korean ballad singers.
For full article, see http://www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20150426000318
Taste of Korea cooking course
On 24 April, the Norwegian-Korean Friendship Association hosted a Korean cooking course for anyone interested in Korean culinary culture. The Embassy of the Republic of Korea contributed in paying half of each participant’s course fee. Since the first course in the fall of 2012, the Friendship Association has had five Korean cooking courses with around 70 participants altogether.
The course in April took place at Slemdal elementary school and lasted for three hours.
Please see http://www.norsk-koreansk.no/ and
https://www.facebook.com/norskkoreansk for more information.
K-pop dance classes in Oslo
As the popularity of K-pop has spread internationally, the interest in Norway is
increasing as well. After a successful K-pop workshop in March, which served to see how great the interest in K-pop by the Norwegian public really is, Circle HipHop Dance Studio has now decided to start official K-pop dance summer classes from 18 May until 11 June. The dance instructor, Feng Jiao Fu, is excited to guide beginners and slightly trained dancers in the dance style of K-pop. The classes will be held on Wednesdays (see the schedule underneath as well as the links) and aim to give basic knowledge of K-pop dance moves to adolescence as well as adults.
For contact and more information, see
http://www.circlehiphopdansestudio.com/69386886 and
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Circle-Hiphop-Dance-Studio/251373888279210