South Korea Re-opens Its Section at International Garden after Lunar New Year

By Maydaa Abo El-Nadar

CAIRO, Feb. 7 (SEE) - South Korean Ambassador to Egypt Yoon Yeocheol, Head of the Korean Community in Egypt Cho Chano, and Chairman of the Board of Directors for Cairo’s Specialized Gardens Project Mohamed Soltan re-opened on Tuesday the Korean section, after its restoration, at the International Garden in Cairo.  

Chairman of the Board of Directors for Cairo’s Specialized Gardens Project Mohamed Soltan

In this regard, the Ambassador

expressed, “I would like to thank Kill Chang and his colleges, from Seoul, for repairing

the place. After several years, we had to renovate the Korean houses, especially

that they depict the Korean culture.”

A Korean House at the International Garden

He added, “We do care to spread our culture amongst Egyptians and to present it in a beautiful image. This is the reason behind restoring the Korean part here. We are very delighted to re-open it today after its renovation.”

South Korean Ambassador to Egypt Yoon Yeocheol

The Embassy, in cooperation with the Korean community in Egypt, placed a memorial for the Cairo Declaration. Worth noting is that the Declaration is deeply appreciated by the Koreans, as it represents a special phase in Korean history, and according to it Korea achieved its freedom against Japan.   

The Cairo Declaration's Memorial

Established on 55 acres in 1987,

the International Garden comprises 18 sections that show history and heritage of

different countries. Celebrating 60 years of diplomatic relations with Egypt, Mexico

founded its partition last year.  

A day before, the Korean Cultural

Center celebrated the Lunar New Year “Seollal”, amid dozens of students and

Korean culture fans in Egypt.

Celebrating Sellolal at the Korean Cultural Center in Egypt

Attendees explored the

commonalities between the two countries, enjoyed the feast’s rituals, wore

traditional Korean clothing, tried the rice cake soup, and played traditional

Korean games.

In this regard, the Center’s

Director Yang Sang Keun pointed

out that the family atmosphere that characterizes the Seollal, is similar to

Ramadan’s atmosphere in Egypt.

The Korean Cultural Center's Director

Yang Sang Keun

Seollal’s celebrations started in the age of the ancient kingdom of Silla. It is one of the most important traditional Korean holidays, during which, Korean eat the rice cake soup called ‘Tteokguk’, as they believe it will prolong their age for another year.

Koreans also wear the traditional clothing ‘Hanbok’, while the family members gather together in their hometowns, and the children enjoy the gifts offered by their parents and grandparents.