Gyeongsangbuk-Do Province takes Hallyu to Istanbul

ISTANBUL AND GYEONGJU GYEONGSANGBUK-DO, SOUTH KORE--(Korea Newswire)--Moving through Aug. 31 and Sept. 22, the Istanbul-Gyeongju Durya Kultur Expo 2013(ISTANBUL-GYEONGJU WORLD CULTURE EXPO 2013) is scheduled to take place in numerous major locations in Istanbul, including the Saint-Sophia Cathedral and the Taksim Square.

The event festival is organized jointly by the Gyeongsangbuk-Do Province and Gyeongju City of South Korea and Istanbul under the theme of “Road, Meeting and Travelling Together” and more than 50 countries are expected to participate.

The launching of the Organizing Committee for the Istanbul-Gyeongju Durya Kultur Expo was held at 5 p.m. Jan. 17(Istanbul Time) at the City Hall of Istanbul, signaling the start of official preparations for the event.

The 22 committee members included Turkish Vice Minister for Cultural Affairs Ozgur Ozaslan; Governor Huseyin Azni Mutlu of Istanbul; Kwak Young-jin, First Vice Minister of Culture, Tourism and Sports of South Korea; and Kim Sung-han, Second Vice Minister of the Ministry of Foreign Affair and Trade of South Korea.

The Co-chairmen are Kadir Topbas, Mayor of Istanbul, and Kim Kwan-yong, Governor of Gyeongsangbuk-Do Province of South Korea.

Following the inauguration ceremony, there was the opening of the offices of the Istanbul-Gyeongju Durya Kultur Expo 2013 at the cultural center Ali Emiri Efendi.

The office, with a staff of some 10 personnel, will receive directives from the Organizing Committee and act under its decisions. The number of the staff is expected to increase as the opening of the Expo approaches.

Among those present at the ceremony was volleyball star Kim Yon-kyung, who currently plays with Fernebahce Univers and has been appointed as a promotional ambassador of the Expo. She will be actively involved in letting the world know of what is happening in Istanbul through the Istanbul-Gyeongju Durya Kultur Expo 2013.

The most attractive contents will be the Korean Culture Pavilion. It is designed to highlight the meeting of Korea and Turkey on the Silkroad and the experiences they have shared since. There will also be exchanges between artists of South Korea and Turkey as well as a photographic exhibition of leading Korean photographers, displaying the beautiful aspects of South Korea.

There will also be 25 programs in nine cultural categories at the Istanbul-Gyeongju Durya Kultur Expo 2013.

Among the performances will be “Flying,” a mime fantasy presented at the Gyeongju Culture Expo and “The Land of Silla Miso 2” which are certain to draw the attention of the global audience.

And, of course, there will be presentations by the B-boys, the fusion of break-dancing, traditional parades of South Korea and Turkey, demonstration of the art of Korean martial arts Taekwondo, and a fashion show combining the traditions of the two countries.

In the area of video and experimentation, the Korean film and Korean-Turkish traditional experience festivals will be on sight. More than 40 Korean movies will be presented and a number of popular Korean actors and actresses will hold signing events.

Gyeongju City and Gyeongsangbuk-do Province are looking at the Istanbul-Gyeongju Durya Kultur Expo 2013 as an opportunity to bring Korean culture and industry into Europe. There is also the hope of attracting an increasing number of tourists to their region.

On the part of Istanbul, it is a matter of Kan Kardesh (blood brotherhood) that will be a starting point for vibrant conomic and cultural exchanges.

As special events, there will be a stream of popular K-pop groups and the Silkroad Bazarre exhibiting traditional and specialized items from more than 30 countries.

The World Traditional Performance Festival will bring together presentations from 20 countries around the world, creating a convergence of Western and Eastern cultures all in one.

Gyeongju City and Gyeongsangbuk-Do Province has organized six Gyeongju Culture Expos between 1998 and 2011 for the promotion of the cultures of the Silla Dynasty and other Korean cultural assets.

Over the years 56,000 cultural experts and artists from over 200 countries participated in the events, attracting more than 10 million visitors.

In 2006, the Angkor Wat-Gyeongju Culture Expo was co-organized to an enormous response and acclaim.

* Istanbul-Gyeongju Durya Kultur Expo 2013 (http://www.cultureexpo.or.kr/open.content/ko/istanbul/outline/)
* Gyeongsangbuk-Do Province(http://www.gb.go.kr/eng/main/main.jsp)
* Gyeongju City (http://www.gyeongju.go.kr/open_content/index.jsp )

Website: http://www.gyeongbuk.go.kr

This is a news release distributed by Korea Newswire on behalf of this company.