[Asia Economy Reporter Yoo In-ho]The 'Korea Day' festival held in Budapest, Hungary attracted 10,000 spectators, achieving great success.
According to the local embassy and Korean Cultural Center on the 24th, the event took place on the 21st (local time) at Millenaris Park in Budapest. This year's event was named '2022 Korea Day: Korea ON' (Hallyu Come-On).
At the opening ceremony, over 100 figures from politics, business, and culture, including L?szl? K?v?r, Speaker of the Hungarian National Assembly, senior officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Finance, and Hungarian Investment Promotion Agency (HIPA), presidents of major universities, ambassadors of key countries in Hungary, and pianist ?d?m Gy?rgy, as well as more than 10,000 citizens, gathered to experience Korean culture.
The festival featured participation from Korean organizations based in Hungary such as KOTRA, over 20 local Hallyu clubs, Korean companies operating in Hungary, local Korean restaurants, Hungarian companies distributing and selling Korean products, and university Korean studies departments.
From 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., indoor performances showcased a variety of genres from traditional to modern, including Taekwondo shows, Korean traditional dance and music, K-pop cover dance, and K-beauty makeup shows. In particular, the K-pop party held for about two hours starting at 7 p.m. concluded the event spectacularly, with over 600 audience members dancing and singing along to the clubs' cover dances.
At the outdoor booths, visitors enjoyed traditional games such as tuho throwing, gonggi nori, ttakji chigi, and jegichagi. Various experiential activities for children and families were also provided, including trying on hanbok, painting minhwa, making hanji crafts, learning K-pop and Taekwondo, and experiencing traditional Korean musical instruments. The hanbok try-on booth had a long line of visitors wanting to wear hanbok from the start to the end of the event. Additionally, games featured in the drama 'Squid Game,' such as Mugunghwa kkoci pieosseumnida and tug of war, also saw continuous participation from attendees.
Booths of Korean companies operating locally introduced their latest products through hands-on experiences and demonstrations for Hungarians. Employment consultations were also conducted for visitors interested in working for Korean companies.
The booth of a local distributor importing and selling Korean beauty products was flooded with visitors asking where they could purchase the products.
Park Cheol-min, the Korean ambassador to Hungary, said, "Today is a very joyful day for the more than 5,400 Koreans living in Hungary and a new milestone in bilateral relations," adding, "We will strive to hold this event regularly every year to introduce various aspects of Korea locally and further establish it as a major festival in Hungary."
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