KoreaON Festival in Budapest

Korean culture and various other aspects of Korean lifestyle were once again in focus in Budapest in the middle of June with this year's KoreaON festival organized by the Korean Embassy, the Korean Cultural Center and the Han You Hungarian-Korean Arts Foundation at the Kristály Színtér event venue on Margaret Island on the Danube in June.

The Ambassador of the Republic of Korea, Chulmin Park recalled to Diplomacy&Trade that this festival, then called Korea Day as it was a one-day event, already took place in 2022, under his first ambassadorial term in the Hungarian capital, with about 10,000 people attending.

New term, same event
“When I returned to Budapest earlier this year, I asked Ms. Yu, the Director of the Cultural Center, whether this type of event was still going on. Her reply was very positive. She said that last year, they already also invited a small number of Korean companies as well as restaurants to supplement the cultural aspects of the festival. That trend continued on a larger scale this year, attracting so many people here,” the Ambassador said. He noted that “there are 35 Korean cultural centers worldwide but the one in the Hungarian capital is definitely the number one in terms of functioning, in terms of scale, in terms of size of the building, in terms of quality of performances, etc. It's wonderful. When I was here before, I was very much depending on the cultural center's ability and willingness – and that is still the case now. This cultural center, which, administratively, is part of the Embassy, does a great job – not just organizing this KoreaON event but also promoting Korean culture in many other ways here in Hungary, exploring opportunities to make their work beneficial to both peoples.”

A joyful atmosphere
Having explored the activities at festival venue himself, the word that came to his mind to describe the atmosphere was ‘joyful’. “It was not just the grown-ups, but I saw kids, the small boys and girls, who eagerly wanted to follow the dancers. Groups that can easily pack a stadium elsewhere were performing here free of charge for people to enjoy. But it was not just about music. For instance, we invited professional hairdressers to this event.”
He also highlighted the presence, at the festival, of several Korean companies operating in Hungary. “They are active in many fields, including tires, electronics or batteries. Regarding the manufacturing of the latter, there have been environmental concerns, even scandals in Hungary recently. Companies from that field present at this KoreaON festival had the opportunity to explain their position to the public concerning this matter, answering questions by people attending the event,” he added.

Traditional and contemporary culture
Speaking of the role of the Korean Cultural Center in organizing the KoreaON event, Director Hye Ryong Yu explained to Diplomacy&Trade that “we are the main and critical organizer and this is our seventh year at this Korean festival in Budapest.” She underlined the role of the Korean culture experience booths that had lectures in Korean culture. “Also, many of the performers appearing at the festival started to learn dancing and singing in the Korean Cultural Center, which – along with the Embassy, the trade and investment promotion agency KOTRA and Korean companies present in Hungary – was part of the puzzle put all together to make this festival.”

She explained that the event, just like last year, were featuring a wide range of programs from the traditional culture to the contemporary one. One could see Korean traditional dance and also there was a taekwondo performance and a K-pop show in the evening of the second day. “We invited MayTree, our ‘a cappella’ group in Korea. They are very famous for their voice, singing beautiful songs for the audience without instrumental accompaniment. Hanbok is a traditional costume of Korea and also these days, the K-beauty is trending so we combined them together to explain the beauty of Korea for the audience to discover on stage,” she said.

Delights of Korean cuisine
Gastronomy was also highlighted at the festival, the main theme of the gastronomy booth this year being street food. “Thanks to Pizza Me, visitors could taste the really delicious kimchi pizza, which was invented a week ago and developed especially for our event. Similarly, the egg drop is a typical Korean style sandwich. We also had a gastronomy show where the chef explained how to make summer kimchi, using ingredients that you can easily buy in Hungary like cabbage or cucumber. There are some common things between kimchi and pickles because those are fermented food and the principle is the same. So, I think Hungarian people could easily enjoy those kinds of delights of Korean cuisine,” the Director added.

A summary of programs
As to how this festival fits into the programs that the Korean Cultural Center organizes from January to December, the Director believes these two days could be compactly seen what the Korean Cultural Center is doing and promoting throughout the year. “For instance, in the experience booth, you could find calligraphy, painting and patchwork – those are among the lectures that we actively provide for the audience at the Center. Similarly, different types of Korean dances, taekwondo can also be learned and enjoyed in our cultural center. So, I would say this is like a two-day summary of the whole year's programs at the Korean Cultural Center.”

Participating audience
The audience's feedback is always essential at such events. Hye Ryong Yu’s experience regarding the approach of Hungarians to Korean culture both at the festival and throughout the year is very positive. “I feel extremely thankful to the audience because even though they don't understand the language, they are very passionate to learn and enjoy Korean culture. Last year, 11,000 people attended this event during the two days, while this year, there were 11,000 people here in the first day already, which means that this year, the visitors’ number is doubled. What I really appreciate about the audience is that they are not just an audience. Hungarian people come here to enjoy the things we offer but many times, they also act as participants. So, I feel really grateful because, as I have said, it's a different culture but they are really being the part of this special event.”