By Honorary Reporter Aseel Al Sailawi from Jordan

Jordan University of Science and Technology in Jordan hosted its inaugural Korean culture event on Nov. 20 in close cooperation with the Korean Cultural Center (KCC) in Irbid.

This event followed the school's bid to form long-term ties with Korea through moves like a cooperation agreement with the Korea International Cooperation Agency and the launch of the school's first Korean-language course last month. 

Visitors try writing in Hangeul (Korean alphabet). (Aseel Al Sailawi).

Two tents were set up to host five interactive zones. The first themed on organization managed crowd flow by providing visitors with a stamp sheet for each zone visited. Completing the sheet earned a prize of light snacks. The second zone themed on Hangeul (Korean alphabet) calligraphy allowed visitors to try writing their names in Korean under an instructor's guidance, showing the accessibility of the language.

The third zone themed on the honeycomb treat dalgona offered the chance to play and taste the snack. Reactions varied from quiet concentration to loud laughter and lively responses. 

The fourth featured traditional games such as ddakji chigi (paper tile flipping) and jegichagi (kicking a shuttlecock) featured in the smash series "Squid Game," eliciting laughter as participants tried their hand at these pastimes. The fifth featured recreation and photography through games like tuho (pitch-pot) complete with scenic photos of Korea. 

Organizers wearing the traditional attire Hanbok also posed with attendees in photos.

Visitors play traditional games. (Aseel Al Sailawi).

The event unexpectedly drew a massive number of visitors of all ages, leading to the exhaustion of supplies and forcing the KCC to end things after an hour instead of the planned two. Far from causing disappointment, the early closure punctuated the sky-high enthusiasm for Hallyu (Korean Wave) in the Arab country.

msjeon22@korea.kr

*This article was 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.