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‘Let the World Enjoy Korean Culture’

The Korean Students Association of American University in the United States presented a large-scale “Korean Food and Film Festival” on November 12. This undertaking was made possible by the hard work and contributions of the university’s Korean students, who sought to promote Korea under a slogan of “Let the World Enjoy Korean Culture.”



Located in the northwestern part of Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States, American University is a private institution especially known for its specialized School of International Service. The Korean Garden in front of the GKS Building, which was completed this year, indicates American University’s high level of interest in and affection for Korean culture. Recently, a Korean cultural festival was held on the campus of American University, which pursues exchange among various cultures, attracting keen attention from many students and professors. Thanks to the encouragement and support from the Korea Foundation, the 2010 festival provided more people with an opportunity to experience and enjoy Korean culture than last year.

Taste of Korean Food
The Korean Students Association of American University strove to make the festival an occasion to introduce Korean culture to a larger number of foreigners and second-generation Korean Americans, and to have them enjoy Korean culture. Members of the KSA got together every Sunday to discuss efforts to organize the festival, for two months prior to the event, and were able to get permission to use the entire first floor of the biggest central ward on the campus. They also decided on selected materials, food, and films, and mapped out plans for the festival with meticulous care.
The festival began with an event to introduce Korean food. More than 200 people participated in the event, showing the popularity of Korean food in the United States. Korean food is no longer a strange cuisine to give a first try, but already a familiar and tasty one. Especially, bulgogi was a popular dish, already known to most of the participants, while kimchi is widely known as a health food. With an aim of promoting traditional Korean food, the focus was placed on traditional Korean food as a main dish. In addition, various Korean desserts, including barley tea, sikhye (rice-malt beverage), yakgwa (fried honey cookie) and rice cake were prepared, to provide the participants with a chance to experience the diverse tastes of Korean food.
While the Korean food event was going on, a beautiful pansori performance was staged to stimulate the appetite, making the atmosphere livelier. To present a professional performance, the festival organizer invited a group of pansori performers recommended by the Korean Embassy, which performed four works of pansori. I thought earlier that the viewers might find pansori somewhat strange. However, seeing them moved by the pansori and so filled with admiration, I could confirm the excellence and beauty of Korean culture once again and feel proud of this culture.
The recent festival served as a cultural occasion for everyone to become one through Korean culture, beyond a simple introduction of Korean culture. A calm atmosphere was d, as if people were trying to feel the sorrow of the song, while listening to the “Simcheongga” pansori work. On the other hand, they felt uplifted and applauded with a smile for the “Chunhyangga” performance. Traditional Korean pansori moved and touched the hearts of people with its plaintive singing. After the performance, many students and professors asked endless questions about pansori and also showed great interest in traditional Korean dance.



Korean Film Festival
The screening of Korean films began right after the Korean food event and the pansori performance. People who viewed trailers of four Korean films – “Speedy Scandal,” “Hwang Jin Yi,” “Lifting King Kong,” and “Tears in the Arctic” – while enjoying Korean food, were asked to choose one film and go to the classroom where that film was being shown. To an atmosphere of a film festival and introduce various Korean films, a total of 30 Korean film posters and introductory notes decorated corridors leading to the screening rooms. “Speedy Scandal,” a box-office hit in Korea, was also very popular and viewed by a full house. “Hwang Jin Yi” showed the traditional beauty of Korea’s costume and architecture, attracting great attention to traditional Korean culture. Seeing so many people feel the same joy, sadness, and fun from the Korean films, based on a different culture and produced in a different language, I could feel Korea in the world.
The recent Korean cultural festival at American University was a great occasion for the education of students who wanted to learn and have exchange with various cultures, and a place of refuge for lonely Korean students who have left Korea to study abroad, reminding them of the warmth of their motherland. It was also a precious experience for the second-generation Korean students born as Koreans, but unaware of Korea, to be proud of being Korean. It provided many foreigners and professors with an opportunity to feel the charm of Korean culture, very much different from American culture.
The Korean cultural festival at American University was much beloved by so many people that the American University broadcast team and local newspapers came by to cover the event. The festival successfully ended with a promise to meet again next year. I am indeed proud that the Korean Students Association of American University could play an important role in making Korean culture known to more people in the world and enhancing the status of Korean culture. I hope these kinds of great events and festivals will be more actively organized and developed in the years ahead.

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