RIYADH: South Korea showcased the richness and beauty of its culture in Riyadh as the 2024 Korea Week celebrations began on Tuesday.
Prince Sultan University hosted the Korean Traditional Culture Day organized by the Korean Embassy.
It included a series of cultural dance and music performances by the Korea National University of Arts.
Jeonghoon Jang, second secretary and consul of the embassy, told Arab News that while K-pop is very popular in Saudi Arabia, he hopes the event will bring more aspects of Korean culture to people in the region. He said he wanted it.
“These K-pops are really based on our tradition, so we thought that by showing our tradition, we could promote Saudi Arabia’s understanding of Korea,” he said.
Regarding relations between Saudi Arabia and South Korea, Mr. Jang said that the two countries are “stronger than ever, and Japan and Japan are stronger than ever.” It’s getting stronger day by day.” A year ago.
Zhang added that such cultural shows and exchanges also lay a “solid foundation for bilateral relations.”
Contemporary and traditional dance each have different themes, such as self-discovery, the gift of time and its temporality, interpersonal relationships, connection with nature, and the delicate balance of life itself.
The title of the first dance was “Who Are You?” It was about whether we should or shouldn’t ask ourselves who we are and what our purpose is. “If There Are Two Girls” followed, showing the different perspectives that can exist in the same time and space. “Distance” is a song about love and fear that arises from the distance between two people.
“Tokai Rhapsody” took a more traditional angle, with shamanistic music transporting the dancers to the sights of the East Sea and expressing new hope. Finally, “A Reversed Dawn” is inspired by Mingyu Park’s novel “Into the Morning” and presents reflections on contemporary social issues.
Once the dancing was over, a traditional music group called Samulnori took to the stage to perform.
Samulnori uses four basic percussion instruments. “Samul” means “four” and “nori” means play.
Professor Kim Won-min of Korea University of the Arts said, “In the past, people tried to alleviate the difficulties of their work by using musical instruments as tools.
“These percussion instruments were also used when people celebrated, shared, and gave thanks for the crops they had harvested.”
Four samulnori dances were performed. The first, “Three Ways Sol Changgu,” emphasizes the two-headed drum, the Changgu. The song combines melodies from three regions of South Korea (Central, Yeongnam, and Honam) and is performed in a “call-and-response” format that shows the synergy of the performers.
Samdo Nongak Garak, an instrumental dance using metal and leather tools, symbolizes the balance of opposing forces, yin and yang, which are essential to Korean culture, and is also depicted on the national flag.
“We can easily understand them as negative and positive forces. However, in our philosophy, yin and yang are not opposing aspects, but are actually complementary and interdependent.” said Wong Min.
Citing performance as the embodiment of life, Won-min said that Korean music symbolizes natural elements.
“The four instruments you saw on stage all resemble aspects of nature,” he said.
The sharp sound made by Khengwari represents light and thunder. Changu imitates the sound of raindrops, jin, and wind, and buk represents clouds.
The evening ended with pangat and lion dance. Both incorporated more movement. Lion dance, which originated in the Hwanghaedo region, is a ritual in which performers wear lion masks to cleanse the space of negative elements and show off the lion’s power.
Korea Week will continue until November 4th, including the National Foundation Day reception at the Korean Embassy on October 30th, which will be attended by Ambassador Choi Byung-hyuk.
This week will also include Taekwondo performances by the Kukkiwon Demonstration Team at Ala Sala University in Dammam on November 2nd and at Misuk School in Riyadh on November 4th.
Mr. Jang emphasized that the biggest similarity between Korean and Saudi culture – the kind treatment of others – is a strong foundation for diplomacy.
“Diplomacy is all about people and how you treat them,” he said.
