Visitors to K-Fest clad in Hanbok (traditional clothing) on June 10 pose for photos at Lansdowne Park in Ottawa, Canada.

By Park Hye Ri
Photos = Korean Cultural Centre in Ottawa, Canada

The Korean cultural event K-Fest in the Canadian capital of Ottawa on June 10 celebrated the 60th anniversary of relations between the two countries.

The Korean Cultural Centre (KCC) in Ottawa on June 12 said it jointly hosted the event two days earlier with the Korean Embassy at Lansdowne Park, with approximately 15,000 people of all ages and races attending.

This year's event was the largest of its kind since the KCC's launch. To promote the diverse features of Korean culture, the Institute of Traditional Korean Food (ITKF), Korea Tourism Organization and the ethnic Korean community in Ottawa set up many booths.

Visitors sang K-pop songs in Korean, wore Hanbok (traditional clothing) and showed high interest in traditional Korean food, the center said.

Visitors to K-Fest on June 10 queue up to sample Korean food at a booth set up by the Institute of Traditional Korean Food at Lansdowne Park in Ottawa, Canada.

At the opening ceremony in the afternoon, a Canadian children's choir and the K-pop group Kingdom sang together the national anthems of both countries: "O Canada" and "Aegukga." Attending the event were Korean Ambassador to Canada Lim Woong-soon, Ottawa Mayor Mark Sutcliffe and Korean Canadian actor Jean Yoon, aka Yoon Jin-hee, from the popular Canadian TV sitcom "Kim's Convenience." Yoon is honorary ambassador for the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations.

Emphasizing the growing influence of Korean culture in Ottawa, the mayor declared "Korea Week" from June 9-15 featuring Korean cultural events across the city including K-Fest.

The ceremony was followed by a performance of samulnori (traditional percussion quartet) by four Korean Canadian dancers, taekwondo demonstration by students from Korea National Sport University, and traditional, modern and street dances, all of which pleased the audience.

A dance team on June 10 competes at this year's K-pop Cover Dance Festival in Canada as part of K-Fest in Ottawa, Canada. 

This year's K-pop Cover Dance Festival in Canada and a performance by the seven-member Kingdom were the evening highlights of K-Fest.

R.P.M Dance Crew beat 12 other teams for the right to represent Canada at this year's K-Pop Cover Dance Festival World Final in September in Seoul.

The 15,000-strong audience gave big cheers to Kingdom and Kwon Eun Bi, formerly the leader of the girl group Iz*One.

"Though Ottawa is the Canadian capital, it's a much quieter city than Toronto, Vancouver and Montreal, so we planned to start a Korean culture boom in Ottawa and make a stage for various artists," KCC Director Lee Sungeun said. 

"I could feel the influence of Korean culture when seeing visitors here for the festival not only from Ottawa but across Canada and even from America," she added. "As a K-Culture sales rep, the KCC saw this as an opportunity to take a step closer to expanding our culture."

K-Festa visitors on June 10 watch a performance by the K-pop group Kingdom at the K-Pop Cover Dance Festival in Canada held at Lansdowne Park in Ottawa, Canada.

The KCC and the Korean Embassy in Ottawa will also co-host this year's "Korea Week" until June 16.

Under the theme "Traditional K-Food Experience," the event features the royal cuisine culture of the Joseon Dynasty through exhibitions, tasting sessions and lectures by introducing the king's small dining table, dasik (tea and snack) and noodle table of the Joseon era.

The ITKF will also take part in this festival to introduce royal cuisine to visitors.

hrhr@korea.kr