Hello, Mr K!
The Korean Culture and Information Service (KCIS), a subsidiary of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, put together a collection of old and new cultural performances called “Hello, Mr K!” that is visiting regions where foreigners cluster together such as universities, regional festivals, and industrial fields, KCIS said.
The performance includes a variety of Korean cultural content. For something new, Crew is an LED dance performance troupe that performs, and for something old, Gwangaeto Samul, a traditional Korean agricultural music performance, can also be seen. There is also a performance of the song Arirang by singer Kim Yong-woo, the musical gala concert team The Muse, and the K-pop group N-Sonic. Particularly, “Hello, Mr K!” has programs in which the audience can participate.
The first event of “Hello, Mr K!” was held at Yonsei University’s auditorium on May 15, with 1,600 international students in South Korea, KCIS said. The event was held as a priority, regarding the fact that there are now about 92,000 international students in the country, KCIS said. Yonsei University got its 1,000 Korean language students to watch the performance to learn about Korean culture, the KCIS said.
“Hello, Mr K!” will be put on for the U.S. army in Pyeongtaek on May 29, the village for athletes at the Universiade Gwangju 2015 on July 4, and Iksan Arts Center on August 15.
Park Young-kook, the head of the KCIS, said that “Hello, Mr K!” was launched because foreigners in the country have had a few opportunities to learn Korean culture, although Korean society has become a multicultural society. He expects “Hello, Mr K!” to support foreigners learning Korean culture, as well as enhancing the country’s image, he said.