KSI Bogota organized an exhibition hall and cultural events to celebrate the 10th anniversary of its establishment at the Feria Internacional del Libro de Bogotá, which commemorated the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Korea and Colombia. Through this program, the King Sejong Institute informed the people of Bogota about their work and presented various programs and performances to introduce the Korean language and culture. We are sharing the story of KSI Bogota, which successfully promoted the King Sejong Institute in Bogota.

Good morning, Ms. Jo Jeong-yoon. Could you please tell us a bit about yourself and your role in the 2022 KSI Specialization Project operation?

Hello, my name is Cho Jeong-yoon, and I am an operating staff at KSI Bogota. My responsibility was to create and operate the promotional exhibition hall (KSI Pavilion) for the 10th anniversary of the KSIF at the Feria Internacional del Libro de Bogotá as part of the KSI Specialization Project in 2022.

My work involved designing various programs, such as seminars, performances, exhibitions, and film screenings, so that the people of Bogota could enjoy Korean culture at the KSI Pavilion and throughout the city. I was also responsible for managing the event halls for host countries and the VIP protocol for the opening ceremony in coordination with the Bogota Book Chamber of Commerce, the Korean Embassy, and the Korean Publishers Association.

Could you please explain the book fair to the readers?

The Feria Internacional del Libro de Bogotá (FILBo), which began in 1988, is the second-largest book fair in South America. It takes place every year in mid-April for 14 days at the Corferias. a convention center in Bogota. It's Colombia's signature cultural event, with the president delivering a speech at the opening ceremony.

This was the first in-person book fair held in three years due to COVID-19, with over 500 attendees from 30 countries. From South Korea, 121 people attended, including representative literary figures and prose writers and performing arts organizations, such as writers Jung Jeong You-jeong, Eun Hui-gyeong, and Suzy Lee. The event took place for 14 days, from April 19 to May 2, with 1,600 large and small cultural events. Alongside this, more than 200 events were held simultaneously in Bogota's main cultural spaces and in culturally marginalized neighborhoods.

The book fair brings the atmosphere and enthusiasm of a literary festival to the city of Bogota, which has limited public festivals. Especially this time, the event attracted many citizens who were thirsty for cultural activities due to the quarantine caused by COVID-19. More than 517,000 people, ranging from elementary school students to senior citizens, visited the pavilion, with more than 300,000 of them visiting the KSI Pavilion.

How did KSI Bogota get involved in this book fair?

Since 1997, the Asia-Ibero-America Cultural Foundation, the local management organization of the KSI Bogota, has been engaged in cultural exchanges, bringing Korean culture to Latin America and vice versa. In 2022, it marked the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between Korea and Colombia. Therefore, the organizers, the Bogota Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the Korean Embassy in Colombia, and the Publication and Printing & Promotion Division of the Korean Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism (MCST) asked KSI Bogota to organize the host country event based on its intensive understanding of the local culture. During this process, MCST and the Korean Publishers Association suggested that it would be a good idea for KSIF, which was celebrating its 10th anniversary, to run a separate exhibition hall in the KSI Pavilion. As a result of these opinions, the KSI applied for and was selected for the 2022 KSI Specialization Project.

What did you focus on when preparing for the King Sejong Institute Pavilion?

The theme of the Korean pavilion, established in the 3,000-square-meter pavilion, was "Togetherness, Convivencia. Through a variety of exhibitions, literary events, performances, and film-related programs, it addressed the issue of "coexistence" among humans, nations, and between man and nature.

While designing the King Sejong Institute Pavilion, I wanted to incorporate the theme of 'coexistence' into the PR hall that showcases the achievements of the 10th anniversary of KSIF. When translated into Spanish, coexistencia connotes "people with different religious values living together," while also meaning "two or more people standing together for a common cause.”

Colombia is a "cultural melting pot" of different ethnicities. COVID-19 is raising the social issue of families falling apart and the gap between the rich and the poor being aggravated. I hoped the King Sejong Institute Pavilion would open the minds of the citizens and offer inspiration to move toward a society pursuing a sustainable future for all.

Also, in the exhibit design, we wanted to provide visitors with a feeling as if they were at home, as the "ㅅ" shape in the Korean alphabet for King Sejong Institute looks like the roof of a house. In addition, the front and sides of the doorway were given ample space to allow visitors to enter and exit easily without crowding in a small space. In this way, we wanted to emphasize the idea of breaking down barriers and coexistence.

What were the main programs you operated at the King Sejong Institute Pavilion, and what were your achievements and records?

First, we aimed to promote KSI's Korean language curriculum, which can be learned effectively and systematically. With the assistance of KSI faculty and students, we ran a program that offered hands-on experience with Korean textbooks, online learning content, and mobile learning apps. To enhance visitors' experience, we also built a pathway for them to practice Korean handwriting, learn simple greetings, experience traditional mother-of-pearl crafts, and take commemorative photos.

We also organized a stage program that included a joint seminar by cultural experts from Korea and Colombia to compare the cultural diversity and similarities between the two countries and seek ways to cooperate. In addition, Professor Kim Won-min of the Center for Traditional Arts at Korea National University of Arts and the traditional theatre troupe Kkokdusoe's traditional performance, “Beautiful Companion,” as well as Laon-Pan, were performed. Through these performances, we introduced Korean traditional dances such as Samulnori, the essence of Korean traditional percussion, as well as shamanism and mask dance reinterpreted as breakdance. Moreover, book fairs and large-scale art exhibitions, which were viewed by citizens from all walks of life, promoted the works of domestic authors.

Although there was a near accident, where too many people caused the walls of the KSI Pavilion to be pushed over on weekends and holidays, we were fortunate to have security guards and crowd control to ensure safe completion of the event. A total of 307,000 visitors came to the pavilion during the event, exceeding everyone's expectations. Despite our thorough preparation for the first face-to-face event after COVID-19, we were overwhelmed by the number of people who showed up.

The event was deemed a great success by the Colombian media. Korean culture has become trendy in Colombia and is receiving a lot of attention from its citizens. The young people who greeted us in Korean at the event brought a smile to our tired faces. Also, the tremendous local interest in the works of Han Kang, Jung Jeong You-jeong, and Eun Hui-gyeong, translated into Spanish, as well as Professor Cho Gu-ho's translation of Gabriel García Márquez's work, remains a deeply moving experience to this day.

Tell us about your experience organizing an international event and your plans for KSI Bogota in 2023.

Representing South Korea at the opening press conference of the program for the FILBo 2022 was a challenging yet honorable experience. South Korea has offered to host the event several times over the past two decades. It's heartwarming to see a cultural event we've dreamed of for so long become a national event to celebrate 60 years of diplomatic relations.

During the event, Bogotá Mayor Claudia López Hernández, Colombian Minister of Culture Angelica Mayolo Obregon, South Korean Minister of Culture, Sports, and Tourism Ban Ki-moon, former Secretary-General of the United Nations Choo Jong-youn, former ambassador to Colombia Juan Carlos Caiza, ambassador of Colombia to Korea, and other key figures visited the KSI Pavilion and showed their support for the efforts of KSI Bogota.

For the second half of the year, we are collaborating with the city of Medellin and the Metropolitan Institute of Technology (ITM) in Medellin to organize a Korean Culture Week at the Medellin Book and Culture Festival, the second-largest book fair in Colombia. Through this event, we hope to expand Korean culture beyond the capital city of Bogota and into other regions.

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