> Growing curiosity towards Korean culture observed in Brussels in the 120th year of diplomatic relations between Korea and Belgium.

KSI Brussels celebrated the 120th anniversary of the diplomatic relations between Korea and Belgium by offering Sejong Cultural Academy(SCA) programs where participants were invited to experience Korean culture. The institute leveraged SCA programs to introduce various aspects of Korean culture to the local audience. The programs included a wide range of themes including K-makeup experience, Korean food, traditional hanbok, taekwondo, bojagi, Korean painting and more. In addition, a Korean Cultural Pavilion was prepared with an exhibition dedicated to traditional cultural pieces, such as Korean traditional games, hanbok, folk painting, and traditional paper craft to promote Korean culture in the Belgian city.

Among the programs, K-beauty was highly desired and was the first class to be closed for application. During the class on makeup featuring a glitter accent and finding your best color, participants discovered shades that matched them and had an opportunity to change their image into a new style.

The Korean food class was about making cucumber kimchi and rice balls. Korean food classes are always popular, and all the participants were able to taste delicious dishes again this year.

This year’s SCA was particularly enriched with cultural exchanges because Korean cultural experts were sent from Korea to join this event. With traditional bojagi wrapping class, traditional fan dance, sogo (hand drum) dance, mask dance, and more, the academy was a precious opportunity to showcase Korean traditional beauty, style, and joy which were rarely found in Belgium. Participants hand sewed a pouch and made a traditional hair band to try on and match with their hanbok. They tried expressing Korean movements through Korean dance and also learned about cultural items such as fan, sogo, and mask.

It was an opportunity for participants to discover a new interest in Korean culture, which they weren’t aware of before, and join KSI classes. A KSI Brussels student said, “K-beauty class was the most memorable experience because we understood and respected each other’s culture” after learning about K-beauty, taekwondo, bojagi, folk painting, and more. KSIF is spreading Korean culture to the world through SCA based on interculturalism.