The Diplomat
The Korean Cultural Week, organised by the Korean Embassy, ended last Saturday 27 May with a hanbok fashion show with Spanish models and a concert by the vocal group Millennium, with Spanish vocalists singing in Korean, which took place at the Teatro Monumental in Madrid.
Before the start of the event, held in collaboration with the Chamber Orchestra of Spain, the Millennium Vocal Group and Park Chang-sook, a renowned designer of hanbok, the traditional Korean costume, the Korean Ambassador, Bahk Sahnghoon, welcomed the audience to the show and noted that “during this year’s Korean Cultural Week, which began this Monday, my Embassy has been very active in the Korean culture, which began on Monday, my Embassy has held a variety of cultural events, including Korean film screenings, Korean food presentations, a performance by a Korean opera singer, a hanbok exhibition for children, and lectures by Spanish experts on Korea. And today, this Korean Week is embellished with a Korean fashion exhibition and a concert.”
In the first part of the show, the elegant beauty of hanbok was accompanied by the music of the Chamber Orchestra. During the fashion show, Korean Youn Soujung, current dancer of the Spanish National Ballet, delighted the audience with the Spanish dance La Vida Breve by Manuel de Falla.
The Chamber Orchestra and the Millennium Vocal Group, composed of professional Spanish vocalists, presented in the second part beautiful songs and classical Korean music to show the harmony of the friendship between the two countries.
“This concert, continued the Korean Ambassador, would not have been possible without the passion and dedication of Maestro Lim Jae-sik, who has played a bridging role in developing the friendship between the two countries since the establishment of the Millennium Vocal Group in 1999. I would like to take this opportunity to express my sincere thanks to Maestro Lim and each and every member of the Chamber Orchestra and the Millennium Vocal Group. In addition, I would like to express my gratitude to KIA Motors Iberia for sponsoring this concert, just as they did last year.”
Ambassador Bahk Sahnghoon concluded by stressing that “I am confident that today’s hanbok parade and concert will serve as a catalyst for increasing Spanish people’s interest and understanding of Korea and Korean culture, as well as deepening the friendship between the peoples of the two countries.”
