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‘I Hope We Can Fully Enjoy Each Other’s Culture’

A cultural and artistic delegation from Belgium, led by Baron Simon-Pierre Nothomb, a former president of the Korean War Veterans Association and former secretary-general of the EU Economic and Social Committee, recently visited Korea to investigate various areas of possible cultural exchange between the two countries.

Q. You mentioned that you have a special personal relationship with Korea. So, what is this related to exactly?
A My relationship with Korea began in 1952, when I served in the Korean War. I later visited Korea with a broadcast crew in the 1980s. In those days, there were not many people who were familiar with Korea, so I accompanied the crew. In 2004, I launched ‘Europa Korea’ in an effort to better introduce Korea, and have since visited Korea regularly from 2005. This is my second time to accompany a Belgian delegation of cultural and artistic figures during their visit to Korea.

Q. Who are the members of your delegation?
A Our group consists of five people, including myself. The individuals include Christel Deliège, Director of the International Museum of Carnival and Mask of Belgium, and professor of journalism; Claude Frisoni, Director of the Neumunster Abbey Cultural Center of Luxemburg, who is also active as a writer, actor, and stage director; and two popular Belgian actors, Charles Cornette and Hilde Uitterlinden. All of these individuals are active in their fields and can be called VIPs of Belgium’s cultural and artistic circles.

Q. How did you select the members of the delegation?
A I interviewed about 18 people who expressed an interest in this visit. I wanted to have a balance, by including people from diverse sectors, and I ended up selecting these individuals after painstaking deliberation. There were various criteria, but basically I wanted to balance the number of male and female members, and to have the delegation represent the northern and southern regions of Belgium, if possible. The most important thing, however, was related to the professional capability and potential of their respective fields to engage in cultural exchange activities. With this in mind, the delegation members were selected. Just hearing these people talk about their fields of expertise was a great pleasure for me.

Q. You met with relevant figures of Korea’s cultural sector and visited a variety of attractions in Korea. What was the outcome of these experiences?
A Upon our return to Belgium, the delegation members will find themselves very busy following up on various matters from the visit, and discussing possible exchange activities. Therefore, I can say that the visit resulted in a very positive outcome. In particular, during the visit, the International Museum of Carnival and Mask, the only museum of its kind in the world, mapped out plans for the exchange of works with a Korean museum. Additional discussion will be needed to decide whether Korean masks or modern art works should be exchanged. It may take some time in other areas, but discussions are underway regarding the invitation of Korean cultural and artistic organizations to Belgium.

Q. How would you assess the Belgian people’s awareness of Korea and especially Korean culture?
A Frankly speaking, the Belgian people do not well understand that the culture of Korea is different from that of China or Japan. Even our delegation could not imagine how rich and beautiful the culture of Korea really is. As for myself, I decided to introduce Korea in more detail after a one-week stay in Korea. I prepared materials to explain why Belgium should better introduce Korean culture, and I persuaded the government to support such efforts. Related to these efforts, Korea is now represented at a festival that is held every other year in Belgium. Capturing the headlines of Belgian newspapers, this is perhaps Belgium’s most outstanding festival. These days, Korea attracts the attention of the Belgian people not only in regard to its electronic products, but Korean culture as well.

Q. Since I can clearly sense your enthusiasm for Korean culture, I wonder about what you would like to see happen in the near future?
A I think Korea is the most European-like country. Especially, it seems possible for Korea and Belgium to build a common ground in many sectors, since our two countries are very similar to each other, in geographical and historical terms. I thought it would be beneficial for the two countries to get to know each other better and fully enjoy each other’s culture. In this sense, I plan to visit Korea about two more times with this kind of cultural delegation. Maybe another group could be composed of those in the fields of music or private museums. I indeed look forward to forthcoming cultural exchanges

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