South Korea celebrates its National Day with special concert in Budapest

The Embassy of the Republic of Korea made their national day in Budapest a truly memorable one, as they hosted a grand reception to mark the special occasion, followed by a concert never seen before in Hungary at the Erkel Theatre on the evening of 21 September.

Nowadays, the Republic of Korea plays an important role in the Hungarian economy, and relations with the Asian country are accordingly very close. The Embassy organised an extremely high-quality event in Budapest, as in addition to the diplomatic standing reception, they also brought a concert to Budapest that is rarely seen in Europe.

The closed reception was attended by the entire Hungarian diplomatic corps, signalling that South Korea is highly regarded around the world. In his welcome speech, Korean Ambassador Hong Kyu Dok said that South Korea regards Budapest as a key economic partner. He stressed that in the 1990s, it was in the Central European region that investment first started to come to Hungary, and cooperation has been unbroken ever since. Thanks to the excellent partnership, more than 300 Korean companies are already operating in Hungary. What is more, in recent years, South Korea has become one of the largest foreign investors in Hungary. A good example of the close diplomatic relations is the recent talks between President Katalin Novák and her Korean counterpart, President Yoon Suk Yeol, in New York.

Korean Ambassador HE Hong Kyu Dok. Photo: Daily News Hungary

Prof. Dr. András Zs. Varga, President of the Curia, welcomed the guests and praised the close relations between the two countries. After the speeches, the reception included a tasting of several traditional Korean dishes.

At 7 PM, JONGMYO JERYEAK performed in front of a full house. The truly special performance brought the ancient ritual music and dance of the royalty of Korea to the Hungarian capital. Jongmyo jeryeak refers to the music and dance accompanying Jongmyo jerye, the ancient rituals performed at the royal shrine of the Jongmyo, the Joseon dynasty, which the Jongmyo performed for about six centuries.