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Korea-Japan Exchange Festival 2009

Various activities of the Korea-Japan Exchange Festival 2009 were staged in Tokyo and Seoul (September 19-21). While 2009 marks the fifth year of this festival, it was the first time for large-scale events to be presented in Tokyo’s Roppongi and Otmotesando.

For the successful organization and implementation of festival events, Korea and Japan have maintained their own secretariats. The festival’s sponsors included Korea’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism, Ministry of Food, Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries, and the Korea Foundation, along with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Agency for Cultural Affairs, and the Japan Foundation for the Japanese side. This year’s festival was far more significant than in earlier years thanks to the festival activities presented in Seoul as well as in Tokyo.



Kimchi Festival
As part of the efforts to globalize kimchi and realize synergy benefits, a Kimchi Festival was held prior to the regular events of the Korea-Japan Exchange Festival. The Kimchi Festival included a variety of kimchi-making events and cultural performances. The festivities opened with a performance by Shang Shang Typhoon, a Japanese group who played a wide range of music, from traditional to contemporary.
Other notable performances included a congratulatory presentation by a Mothers’ Choir of the Korean School in Tokyo, traditional Korean dance by a dance troupe of the Korean School in Tokyo, and Taepyeongmu and Pungmulchum dance by the Jeong Myeong-ja Yebit Art Troupe. In addition, there was demonstration of kimchimaking by a Korean culinary specialist. Following the demonstration, local residents had a chance to make their own kimchi. So many residents sought to take part in the kimchi-making event that a first-come-first-served limit had to be imposed, reflecting the keen interest in Korean kimchi among Japan’s general public.

Events in Tokyo
The Korea-Japan Exchange Festival got underway with an opening parade, Korean song competition, and official opening ceremony. The opening parade, which made its way through Omotesando, an area where Japanese youth congregate, featured seven performing groups from Korea and six from Japan. Along with the parade, a Korean song competition was held at Roppongi Hills Arena. A total of 19 Japanese finalists, non-native speakers of Korean who had passed a preliminary round held in four regions across Japan, sang Korean songs. The competition’s success was evident from the diverse group of finalists, which included people in their 20s as well as a few rather elderly but enthusiastic contestants, who sang a wide variety of genres, ranging from ballad to trot.
The opening ceremony was highlighted by the participation of notable government figures from the two countries, Korean residents and organizations in Japan, businesspeople, and local residents. Around this same time, a closing ceremony of the festival activities in Korea was being staged at the Seoul Plaza. The linking of a closing ceremony in Seoul with an opening ceremony in Tokyo was intended to symbolize a bridge between the two countries and support for their continued friendship.



Cultural Exchange
The festival’s efforts to promote cultural exchange included the presentation of performances that integrated the influences of Korea and Japan. The goal of this year’s festival was to pioneer a new era between the two countries by advancing beyond the Korean Wave, which has already taken firm root in Japan, through the exchange of each country’s traditional cultures. Accordingly, Korean and Japanese performances were staged under four themes.
Charm of Korea and Japan” presented Korea’s traditional dance, such as Bongsan Talchum, Taepyeongmu, and Seungmu, along with Japan’s Eisa dance and drum performance. “Korea and Japan Festivity for All” featured Korea’s Fan Dance and Salpuri, Japan’s Awaodori, and Noridan’s Eco Performance. Thereafter, “The Youth of Korea and Japan” included the dynamic maneuvers of B-boy groups from Korea and Japan, a taekwondo demonstration by Korean Tigers, and fan dance and samulnori performance by a dance troupe of the Korean School in Tokyo.
Friendship between Korea and Japan” introduced a Korean drum ensemble, Korean traditional dance, such as Chunaengjeon and Jindo drum dance, Chongdong Theater’s original work “Miso,” and a high-energy Yosakoi dance performance by Japanese teams. Finally, the closing ceremony featured a grand celebration to promote continued friendship and harmony between Korea and Japan. The three-day festival wound up with everyone’s participation in Ganggangsullae, a traditional Korean dance.
Leading up to the festival, there were various concerns to consider, including an approaching typhoon, threat of the H1N1 flu, and possible disruption by Japanese extremists. But, as it turned out no such problems emerged to dampen the festive atmosphere. Although this festival is now the largest cultural exchange event of its kind, its ultimate success will not be realized unless a full spectrum of cultural exchange is regularly implemented by Korea and Japan, along with continuous people-to-people interaction based on true friendship and cooperative relations.

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