S. Korea to open cultural center in Spain next month

SEOUL, May 31 (Yonhap) -- South Korea will open a new cultural center in Madrid, Spain, early next month, the culture ministry here said Tuesday. According to the ministry, the cultural center will open on June 3 at 15 Paseo de la Castellana, in the heart of Madrid -- home to Columbus Square and other tourist and cultural attractions. It will be South Korea's 18th cultural center worldwide, and sixth in Europe after France, Britain, Germany, Russia and Poland. The three-story cultural center will feature an exhibition hall for traditional Korean craftwork on the first floor, a library and a multi-purpose hall on the second, and a lecture hall on the third. South Korean Culture Minister Choung Byoung-gug will be on hand for the opening ceremony at 1 p.m. on June 3, local time. The National Orchestra of Korea and the Spanish Millennium Choir will perform as part of the ceremony. The Madrid center will offer Korean language classes, screen Korean films and display Korean paintings. "A photo exhibition on Korean tourism will run until mid-July to mark the opening of our cultural center in Spain," a ministry official said. "The center will introduce Korean TV dramas and K-Pop music so it could help spread Korean pop culture across Europe."