By Hur SomEe and Kim Young Shin
Photos = Korean Cultural Center in Spain

The 2017 Korean Culture Festival, under the theme this year of “Korea Inside Spain,” kicked off in Madrid on May 30.

At the festival, various aspects of Korea will be showcased, including the Hanji Festival, the Korea Sound festival, a "jump performance" and a K-pop concert. The festival runs until July 8.

At the opening ceremony on May 30, a bongsan talchum traditional mask dance (봉산탈춤), a jiwusan paper umbrella performance (지우산), and a fashion show with clothes made from traditional Hanji mulberry paper all amused the audience.

“The festival’s performances, exhibitions, lectures and screenings will let visitors experience Korea in Spain,” said Director Chae Suhee of the Korean Cultural Center in Spain. “The festival will also promote next year’s PyeongChang 2018 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, as well as Korea and Korean arts, among locals here.”



A joint photo exhibition by seven Korean photographers, titled “Imagine Korea -- Beyond the People, Land and Time” will also be held during the festival at the Korean Cultural Center in the "B the Travel Brand Xperience" hall. Also, the movies “The Age of Shadows” (밀정) (2016) and “The Wailing” (곡성) (2016) will be screened at the Callao movie theater in Madrid on June 6 and 7, respectively.

The final event of the festival will be the local preliminary rounds of the K-pop World Festival, an annual international K-pop competition whose finals will be held in Changwon-si City, Gyeongsangnam-do Province, in September.

sehp91@korea.kr