Korea and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) set this year for mutual cultural exchanges beyond economic and diplomatic cooperation celebrating the 40th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries.
Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism of South Korea announced the main plans, commemorative symbol, and slogan of the 2020 Korea-United Arab Emirates: Year of Mutual Cultural Exchanges, with Ministry of Cultural & Knowledge Development of UAE in Abu Dhabi, UAE on January 21, 2020.
The commemorative symbol and slogan were created by using the national flag colors of both countries. The slogan, in particular, was decided as 'Fusion of Culture', meaning that the cultures of the two countries would be gathered and developed through the year of mutual cultural exchange.
Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism is also planning to make efforts to discover a new Korean tourism market for the Middle East travelers and to establish a base for spreading the Korean Wave(한류) in the Middle East, including K-Pop, which is gaining popularity in the Middle East.
K-Pop festival will be held in Abu Dhabi, UAE, around June 18, 2020, celebrating the anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries.
Also, the Korean government will provide an opportunity to exchange between several content companies from the two countries through Korean film screenings, Hallyu fairs, and some Korean pop music performances.
The UAE is the first country to open a Korean cultural center in the Middle East. This event is not only about the cultural exchange year, but also to spread the popularity of K-pop to the whole of the Middle East. More importantly, the UAE is an essential partner of cultural cooperation and has geopolitical conditions that can serve as a focal point for the spread of the Korean wave in the Middle East.
Park Yang-woo(박양우) (Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism) said, "We hope that the people of both countries will understand each other's cultures and be happier by successfully pursuing the Year of Mutual Cultural Exchange. We also hope that the two countries will actively cooperate not only in culture but also in the overall field, and ultimately 2020 will be a turning point in establishing new relations between the two countries."
[ Photos credit: Ministry of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism ]
Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism of South Korea
United Arab Emirates Ministry of Cultural & Knowledge Development
[Map of United Arab Emirates]
