The Korean Cultural Centre in South Africa, in collaboration with the KOTRA Johannesburg Trade Centre, recently hosted the K-Lifestyle in Africa event from Thursday, 18 May to Saturday, 20 May. The event garnered tremendous participation, with a total of 1,300 local attendees, 20 domestic companies, and 50 buyers in attendance. The event featured a range of activities and programmes, including B2B export consultations, a business forum, K-beauty showcases, a market for promoting and selling daily necessities, captivating K-pop performances, a lucky draw, Korean food and alcohol experience stalls, and immersive Korean cultural programmes.

▲Visitors waiting to enter before the start of the event

Prior to the event's commencement, numerous individuals eagerly awaited entry, taking the opportunity to explore the Cultural Centre's exhibition halls and Sarangbang. In the Cultural Centre's front yard, 10 markets were set up, offering a variety of K-beauty products, daily necessities, and general merchandise.

▲Visitors exploring the market in the front yard of the Cultural Centre

Attendees showed great interest in and made purchases from renowned companies such as Farmskin and Cosmax, as well as local enterprises like Kokoro and MyKoco. This event successfully served as a platform to promote Korean products within South Africa.

The Korean food experience stalls delighted visitors by serving dishes such as tteokbokki and alcoholic beverages. The response was overwhelmingly positive, with attendees expressing their delight in the exquisite taste of Korean cuisine and seeking information about local Korean restaurants.

▲Visitors eating Korean food in the courtyard of the Cultural Centre

Within the Korean Cooking Classroom at the Cultural Centre, the Spicy Noodle Challenge took place. Participants showed various reactions, shedding tears due to the spiciness of the noodles, but ultimately expressed their satisfaction with their involvement, stating that it was an enjoyable experience. This programme proved to be one of the most popular among the event's line-up.  

▲Participants showing various reactions to the Spicy Noodles Challenge held in the Korean cooking classroom at the Cultural Centre

K-pop-related programmes unfolded at the K-pop studio of the Cultural Centre. A renowned choreographer, Jay Kim, was invited from Korea for the K-pop performances, and a dance team was formed by collaborating with locals through a two-week dance workshop leading up to the event. Additionally, singer Lenah showcased her talent with a few performances. The dance team, led by choreographer Jay Kim, the winner of the K-Pop Quiz Contest at the Cultural Centre and an instructor at the K-Pop Academy, delivered six dynamic dance routines, while Lenah captivated the audience with four songs, including a Medley of popular BTS tracks. The audience erupted with cheers during the final stage, featuring NCT's "Candy" choreography, and the diverse range of dance and vocal performances received an overwhelmingly positive response from attendees of all ages. The global popularity of K-pop was evident as visitors flocked to the stage, dancing and cheering to the music that continued playing even after the performances concluded

▲K-pop programme held at the K-pop studio of the Cultural Centre

This event provided a valuable opportunity to promote K-beauty and daily necessities to the local community in collaboration with KOTRA at the Cultural Centre. Furthermore, it served to strengthen support for the overseas expansion of the Korean Wave industry through B2B export consultations and business forums. Moving forward, our Cultural Centre is committed to organizing events that facilitate the export of K-content, while also promoting and showcasing Korean culture and consumer goods.