Welcoming Remarks for the ASEAN-ROK Media Art Exhibition By H.E. Suh Jeong-in, Ambassador of the Mission of the Republic of Korea to ASEAN

Welcoming Remarks for the ASEAN-ROK Media Art Exhibition By H.E. Suh Jeong-in, Ambassador of the Mission of the

Republic of Korea to ASEAN

Good Evening! Excellency Vongthep Arthakaivalvatee, Deputy Secretary General for ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community, Excellency Lim Hong Hin, Excellency Ambassador Hasnudin Hamzah, Excellency Ambassador Rahmat Pramono, excellencies, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen.

I am very pleased and honoured to welcome you all to today’s beautiful art exhibition, ‘City Remembrance, Reimagining’.

Subsequent to the last year’s art exhibition, the Korean Mission hosts today’s event for its second time in cooperation with Surya University. I thank Professor Jeon Jeong-ok for organising this event.

Last December in Busan, we confirmed our strong friendship with ASEAN by commemorating its 25th anniversary. The 11 leaders from ASEAN and the ROK were gathered in Busan to confirm its utmost relationship. And in the adopted Joint Statement, ASEAN and the RoK reiterated to continue its relationship in various fields not only limited to the political-security and economic ties but stretched to the socio- cultural relations.

As we know, today the Korean culture such as K-pop, K-dramas are very popular in the ASEAN countries. In contrast, the ASEAN culture is not much known to Korea yet. I believe two ways or interactive ways of exchanging culture to get to know each other is very important in order to be sustainable.

In this regard, the establishment of the ASEAN Culture House was welcomed by 11 leaders at the Commemorative Summit, last year. And this will open in 2017. 2017 is going to be the year of culture exchange between ASEAN and the ROK and also the 50th anniversary of ASEAN. I am sure the ASEAN Culture House is going to widen up the perception of ASEAN culture to the Korean citizens and also accommodate the enriched culture and arts of ASEAN, in which will enhance the people to people exchange between the two.

Culture, in particular, is very important. People-to-People exchange and the cultural collaboration are indeed the best ways to understand each other by letting down prejudice and pre-perception against to each other.

In this sense, we, the Mission, came up with an idea to organise the cultural sphere among the ASEAN and Korean artists to unwrap their creativities by reflecting their ideas into various forms of the artifacts, which will lead to make people understand better of the enriched culture of ASEAN and Korea.

Excellencies, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen,

The aspiring ASEAN Community is going to be launched by the end of this year and it will double up the speed to consolidate the ASEAN as a successful integrated region in three pillars; Political-Security, Economy and Socio-cultural. I believe the region will propel its growth and development in every way even faster from the beginning of 2016.

Regarding the culture, itself, ASEAN is embedded with richness with its colourful diversity that encompasses the 10 different languages, ideas, religions etc. This exceptional diversity will be a plus to people’s awareness of ASEAN and realise the people-centred and people-oriented ASEAN.

I would like to appreciation to the 11 ASEAN and Korean artists to make today’s event beautifully possible. Also I am very grateful to the excellent organisation work by Arco Labs in Surya University.

I thank you all for your attendance. And I hope you will enjoy tonight’s exhibition. I thank you very much for kind attention. /End/