South Korea opens first cultural centre in Thailand

BANGKOK, July 4 (TNA) – South Korea and Thailand hail the opening of the Korean Cultural Centre in Bangkok, the first-ever in Thailand, in order to serve as a bridge for Thais to remain in the booming trend of the Korean mainstream cultures. A ceremony to inaugurate the Korean Cultural Centre in the Thai capital was held on Wednesday, attended by some 300 dignitaries, including Thai Culture Minister Sontaya Kunplome and South Korea's First Vice Cultural Minister Cho Hyun-jae. Highlights of Wednesday's event included the K-Pop mini concert, a cooking demonstration of the signature Korean dish, Bimbimbup and art exhibition by both Thai and South Korean artists. According to the visiting South Korean Vice Cultural Minister, the newly-established Korean Cultural Centre in Bangkok is also aimed to become a regional hub of “hallyu”, the South Korean popular culture, in the Southeast Asian region and it is believed to inspire both Thais and South Korean to further contribute to strengthening bilateral ties in various fields of culture and arts. The Korean Cultural Centre in Thailand is Seoul's 25th cultural centre in the world community and the 4th in Southeast Asia. Since 1958, South Korea and Thailand have enjoyed their diplomatic relations, with more than 1.5 million Koreans and Thais having visited the other country annually. (TNA)