Policy Review

Korean Culture Blooms
in Hong Kong

The 32^nd Korean Cultural Center in the world

A new Korean Cultural Center opened in Hong Kong, the hub of East Asia and the
gateway to Guangdong, southern China and beyond. It’s the 32nd Korean Cultural
Center in the world, and follows centers in Beijing and Shanghai.

Written by Hwang Hyo-jin, current writer Photos courtesy of Korean Culture and information Service

Korean Cultural Centers:
Global Flowering of Korean Arts

The Korean government establishes Korean Cultural Centers so as to introduce both Korean heritage and traditions, as well as modern Korean art, music and design, to the world, and to promote international cultural exchanges. In additional to this, the centers also promote Korean sports and tourism.

The new center in Hong Kong brings the total number of overseas Korean Cultural Centers to 32. In 1979, the first cultural center opened in the Sunshine 60 building in Ikebukuro, Tokyo. That same year, the New York cultural center opened as part of the Consulate General of the Republic of Korea in New York. The network of centers expanded in the 2000s, and today the network spreads all around the world.

Korean Cultural Centers enhance understanding of Korea -- both traditional and modern -- and strengthen ties through exhibitions, food festivals, traditional music and dance performances, lectures, sports and sessions for children, too. While their basic mission is simply to spread the intangible aspects of Korean society around the world, their impact on the world so far has been immeasurable.

In addition to introducing the Korean language and taekwondo at the G20 and other international forums, Korean Cultural Centers have boosted Korea’s global competitiveness in sports by supporting the IAAF World Championships in Daegu, the 2014 Asian Games in Incheon, the PyeongChang 2018 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, and Korea’s bid to host the 2022 FIFA World Cup. It's not an overstatement to say that the centers are the primary driving force behind the growing popularity of all things Korean that we see around the world.

Korean Cultural Center
in Hong Kong Serves as
Platform for Global Exchange

Since its opening in January, the Korean Cultural Center in Hong Kong has actively promoted the PyeongChang 2018 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games. Media personnel who covered the Opening Ceremony received official Olympic merchandise as souvenirs. Similar to other cultural centers, the Hong Kong center plans to hold exhibitions and concerts, too. Considering Hong Kong’s status as the world’s third-largest art market, the center organized an exhibition titled “Blooming at the Junction” to commemorate its opening. The exhibition, which will last through March 31, features more than 30 pieces by 19 Korean artists, including Paik Nam June and Kim Soo-ja. It's highly recommended to anyone living in or planning to visit Hong Kong.

The Korean Cultural Center in Hong Kong will provide exhibitions, small-scale performances, language classes, cooking classes, pop music listening sessions, and film screenings, covering all aspects of Korea. The reference library on the upper floor will have mostly books on three major Korean topics: art, cuisine and, traditions and heritage. "Festive Korea," which has been used in Hong Kong since 2011, will be adopted as the cultural center's representative slogan. Equipped with a multipurpose hall for exhibitions and concerts, a lecture room, a cooking room, a library, and a multimedia room, the two-story cultural center in the former Police Married Headquarters will offer visitors a wealth of opportunities to immerse themselves in all things Korean.

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