Korea and Belgium Participate in UNESCO Cultural Heritage "Ommegang Festival" as Guest of Honor
Korean cultural center in Belgium, taekwondo demonstration on the Grand Place in Brussels, intensive publicity for Busan Expo by inviting BIE ambassadors
The Republic of Korea participated as a guest of honor country in the Belgian medieval cultural festival "Ommegang", which was held for four days from June 28 to July 1, 2023. Listed as World Intangible Cultural Heritage of UNESCO in 2019, this festival with the longest history in Europe is divided into two main themes: the reconstruction of the "Procession of Medieval Kings" and the "Renaissance Square".
Ommegang, a representative local cultural festival held annually from late June to early July, originated from a religious event held in 1348. In this year's procession, huge figures such as monsters and chariots were added.
The highlight of the festival was a long procession made up of 1,500 people, which crossed Brussels city center twice on the 28th and 30th, and finally gathered in the Grand Place, the central square of Brussels, to show the ceremony of the king's medieval procession to 6,000 spectators. Before the main event held at the Grand Place, the Korean Cultural Center of the Belgian European Union invited Team-K to give a demonstration of Taekwondo. It was the first cultural performance to be presented among the countries that participated in the Ommegang Festival as guest of honor. In this performance, traditional masks and flags were used to show Korea's changes from tradition to modern times through taekwondo.
Chairman of the Ommegang Organizing Committee, Paul Le Grand, said, "Korea's participation as the guest of honor, which has achieved excellent modern culture based on a long tradition, has further enriched Ommegang. , which continues the modern succession of the tradition.
It was installed on the Place de Sablon, the center of art in Brussels, where equestrian competitions, crossbow shooting competitions and duels of knights took place on the "Place de la Renaissance", and a medieval village and a market have been created. In the "Korean village" for the guest of honor, the 2030 Busan World Expo, the public relations center of the Korea Institute of Oriental Medicine and the Hanbok experience corner were set up. place so that visitors can get various information about Korea and experience the culture.
In addition, on the 30th (Friday), the special reception for the guest of honor held at the Gothic Hall, the historic banquet hall of the Brussels City Hall, brought together ambassadors from different countries of Belgium as well as senior officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Belgium. Representative Korean dishes such as Busan food were showcased at the reception, and the 2030 Busan World Expo was also promoted through videos.
The Ommegang River Festival is a major local cultural event, with around 6,000 spectators attending the main event in the Grand Place and around 50,000 spectators each year including the procession through the city. Many foreign media report on it and many content created by visitors is posted, reproduced and disseminated.