President Boosts Korea-Ethiopia Ties through Cultural Dialogue

On May 28th, following the ‘K-culture in Ethiopia’ show at the University of Addis Ababa, Korean President Park Geun-hye and Ethiopian President Mulatu Teshome addressed the audience. President Park spoke about the possibilities of strengthening the bilateral relationship between Korea and Ethiopia through cross-cultural exchanges.

President Park Geun-hye during her speech outlined, that despite of the fact that two countries have their own, cultivated beautiful traditions through the long histories, including their own, unique alphabets, they share cultural similarities such as common cultural roots and sentiments. She also stated that two countries can become closer friends in the near future.

During the show, different performances, such as a ‘’samulnori’’ drum performance, a taekwondo demonstration and traditional dance with singing and drumming, were introduced by the National Gugak Center, athletes from the K-sports Foundation and dancers from the Ethiopian National Theatre.

Expectations among the attendees were high and performers received an enthusiastic reaction and large round of applause from the audience. Furthermore, following the performances students of the University of Addis Ababa shared their views about the importance of the event, stating that this event offered a chance for Ethiopians to learn more about Korea.

Around four hundred people attended the show. Among the attendees was the Ethiopian President, Mulatu Teshome, along with other high-profile Ethiopian government officials.