By Honorary Reporter Andra Michaela Pena from Romania
Photos = Andra Michaela Pena

My interest in Korea began in 2014 after seeing the historical K-drama "Jewel in the Palace." I am also learning Korean at the Bucharest branch of King Sejong Institute. 

One of my favorite parts of Korea is its wonderful cuisine.

My city has several amazing Korean restaurants that present the best of Korean cuisine like Korean-style fried chicken and beer and the favorite tteokbokki (spicy rice cake). Stores selling Korean items in Bucharest also have delicious snacks, the latest K-pop albums and K-beauty products.

The Romanian-Korean Studies Center at the Romanian-American University has had classes in the Korean language and culture and houses Korea Corner, which stores books from Korea. The university in 2020 opened the corner and started Korean-language courses. Exemplary students can also apply for Erasmus scholarships to study in Korea.

The Romanian-Korean Studies Center at the Romanian-American University has Korea Corner, which houses books from Korea.

The Korean Embassy in Bucharest has promoted Korea through both offline and online events like the K-lovers Festival, "Korean Jazz Night," "Korean Movie Week" and food exhibitions. After the COVID-19 pandemic broke out, the embassy held online contests in Korean calligraphy and drawing as well as quizzes. 

The two main virtual events were contests for the webzine and SNS supporters. I got first place in both events, and this motivated me to become an Honorary Reporter. 

The Korean Embassy in Bucharest promotes Korea through many events both offline and online.

Another appeal of Korea is its music. Bucharest is lucky to have one K-pop concert every year and related parties as Romania has few concerts, so K-pop fans here are thankful for efforts to promote the genre in the country. The latest such concert was "K-pop Concert in Romania" in 2019, an event that attracted 1,500 spectators.

The Romanian capital thus has a surprising number of events, venues and people who bring Korea closer to Romanians. 

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.