130th Anniversary
Korea and France will kick off their bilateral cultural event with artists and musicians performing Korea’s royal ritual music, Jongmyo Jeryeak, at the Théàtre National de Chaillot in Paris, on Sept. 18. The Prime Minister of Korea will make an official visit to the event. This is the first time that Jongmyo Jeryeak will be performed in its entirety on foreign territory, and the event is expecting 115 artists to attend, the largest number to date.
The Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism said that the 2015-2016 Korea-France Bilateral Exchange is being organized to commemorate next year's 130th anniversary of diplomatic ties between the two sides.
The event will have some 150 cultural programs featuring traditional and contemporary Korean music, visual arts, films, and literature to be hosted by renowned artists in France, starting in Paris.
The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism (Minister Kim Jong-deok) will open the Korean year in France on Sept. 18, which is part of the 2015-2016 Korea-France Bilateral Exchange organized to commemorate the 130th anniversary of diplomatic ties between the two countries.
The 2015-2016 Korea-France Bilateral Exchange is comprised of the Korean Year in France (Sept. 2015–Aug. 2016) and the France Year in Korea (Jan. 2016-Dec. 2016), and features the dynamic exchange of arts and cultural programs in both countries. The Korean Year in France will proceed with cultural events and performances played at many popular venues in Paris, Nantes, Marseille, Lyon, Lille, and Nice.
This two-year event was agreed on between the two countries during President Park Geun-hye's state visit to France in Nov. 2013. Subsequently, the organizational committees of both countries established joint rules and organize programs through joint meetings.
Cho Jun-ho, the art director of the Korean side of the organizing committee, said, “By having our Korean culture permeate the daily life of the French people, we hope to take the traditional ways of cultural exchange up a notch.” He also added, “The exchange will mark an opportunity to prepare for continuous cultural exchanges.”
The Korean Year in France runs from Sept. 2015 to Aug. 2016, while the French Year in Korea starts in Jan. 2016, four months later, and will run throughout 2016. A special session for French films is scheduled as part of the opening ceremony celebrating the 20th anniversary of the Busan International Film Festival this year.