By Honorary Reporter Marianna Baroli from Italy
Photos = Marianna Baroli

President Moon Jae-in and first lady Kim Jung-sook recently attended two cultural events in Rome. As an Honorary Reporter from Italy, I had the privilege of attending both events and meeting the presidential couple.

On Oct. 29 at the Church of St. Ignatius of Loyola at Campus Martius, the president, his wife and Korean Minister of Unification Lee In-young opened the exhibition "Barbed Wire, Heralds of Peace" featuring an installation work of 136 crosses made from melted barbed wire from the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) separating the two Koreas. 

Also at the exhibition were materials and video documents on the DMZ, creation of the work and its meaning.

On Oct. 30, the first lady visited the Accademia di Belle Arti di Roma, which houses a Hanji (traditional Korean paper) laboratory.

She saw a demonstration by the academy's students of the processing of this paper, a unique event since Hanji is typically not produced outside of Korea. She also met Italian scholars and professionals specializing in Hanji, who explained how the paper helps extend the life of old documents and books thanks to its unique nature. 

In Korea, Hanji is used not only in writing and painting, but also in the making of doors and windows of homes due to the paper's insulating properties that allow light to filter through.

enny0611@korea.kr

*This article is written by a Korea.net Honorary Reporter. Our group of Honorary Reporters are from all around the world, and they share with Korea.net their love and passion for all things Korean.