President Moon Jae-in, who is now on a state visit to the United Arab Emirates, and first lady Kim Jung-sook attended a concert by South Korean pop performers at Jubilee Park of the World Exposition in Dubai on Sunday night, according to reports.
The "KITE: K-pop in the Emirates" event, which lasted 2 1/2 hours and was co-hosted by the Korean Cultural Center in the UAE and the Korea Creative Content Agency, took place to commemorate Korea National Day at Expo 2020 Dubai and was co-sponsored by the Korea Creative Content Agency. As a result of the COVID-19 epidemic, it was held in a hybrid format that included both on-site and online performances.
The music event drew approximately 6,000 people, who were treated to performances by boy band Stray Kids — who served as honorary ambassadors for the Korea Pavilion during the expo — as well as Sunmi, (G)-Idle, Golden Child, Forestella, and Psy, among others.
During Psy's performance, Moon and the first lady made their way into the venue. While the singer addressed the audience in English, the president waved to the appreciative audience.
After the event, Moon visited the waiting rooms of the K-pop stars and said hello to them. When the president has had the opportunity to participate in cultural exchange programs while traveling abroad, he has frequently attended events and shown gratitude to those who have worked hard to promote K-pop culture in other countries.
Meanwhile, "Korean Week," which began on Sunday at the Korea Pavilion at the Dubai Expo and included clips of BTS performances in front of Korean cultural heritage locations, has begun at the Korea Pavilion. The major palace Gyeongbokgung was visible in the background of the septet's performance of "Dynamite," while the performance of "Permission to Dance" was visible in the background of Sungnyemun, one of the city's main city gates.
Various events were also held at the venue during the five-day Korean Week, which was organized by the Cultural Heritage Administration and the Korea Cultural Heritage Foundation. The first 700 guests to the pavilion were each handed a bokjumeoni, a lucky pouch that is traditionally presented as a New Year's gift in Korea.
Throughout the day, a special performance combining Korean music, samulnori (a Korean traditional folk music genre that incorporates four traditional percussion instruments), and digital technology is presented under the theme "Massive Vibe." The performance is performed 10 times per day. Guests can also take in exhibitions of Korean cultural history and an exhibition on mother-of-pearl lacquerware, both of which are free to attend.
While this is true, the Korean Pavilion is the fifth-largest of the 191 countries that are participating in the expo this year. According to the Cultural Heritage Administration, more than 500,000 tourists have visited the Korean site so far this year. The Dubai World Expo opened on October 1, 2021, and will continue through March 31, 2022.
