The cultural origins of the Samyang Won-dong Cultural Foundation can be traced to the Samyang Group, a company renowned for its instant noodles. On March 7, the foundation supported the"Korean Culture Day in Riyadh” event at the distinguished Prince Sultan University in Saudi Arabia.

It’s a pleasure to meet you, Ms. Seok Could you briefly describe your role and what the Samyang Won-dong Cultural Foundation stands for? Additionally, please share the foundation"s business and operating principles to achieve its vision of "a delicious culture and a delicious world created by everyone together.”

Hello, I am Seok Su-jin, a manager in the business team at the Samyang Won-dong Cultural Foundation Project Team. Our foundation aspires to create a more compassionate world where more people can enjoy food, honoring the legacy of Samyang Foods’ late founder, Chairman Emeritus Jeon Joong-yoon, and his wife, Mrs. Lee Kye-soon, who sought to address food scarcity with their "first ramen" in the 1960s.

We support organizations and events in culture, arts, and sports, and provide scholarships to develop future talent. In collaboration with Samyang Foods’ social contribution efforts, we also aid underprivileged local communities and distribute relief goods.

The Samyang Won-dong Cultural Foundation sponsored the "Korean Culture Day in Riyadh" event at KSI Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, contributing to its success. What did you sponsor and why did you choose to do so?

We sponsored the expenses for the "Korean Culture Day in Riyadh" event and provided 500 cup noodles, featuring Samyang Foods’ famous "Hot Chicken Flavor Ramen.” Our sponsorship was particularly meaningful as KSI Riyadh offered various Korean dishes, such as kimchi, kimbap, and japchae, as well as interactive programs featuring traditional Korean games like yutnori and jegichagi, and writing Korean names. In particular, we ran out of cup noodles, which might be unfamiliar to people in Saudi Arabia, so we were delighted to introduce Samyang Foods products to the locals and were grateful to see how much they enjoyed them.

Samyang Food is on the brink of becoming a global company, with export sales of its products increasing annually. The Middle East is emerging as a crucial market. We"ve recently expanded our sales to Saudi Arabia"s largest distributor, and hope to further increase our presence there. In support of these objectives, we also decided to sponsor KSI Riyadh, Saudi Arabia"s first Korean language school.

More than 1,000 people attended the event, including students of KSI Riyadh and local residents, who enjoyed Korean culture. How did you feel about sponsoring this event?

I had been aware of Korean culture"s global reach through various media, but the event"s turnout made it truly tangible. I initially thought Saudi Arabia had a more closed-off culture, but the students I met at the event demonstrated openness and enthusiasm for new cultures. I also wondered whether Korean culture, including its cuisine, could play a significant role in sparking a new wave of interest here. With this in mind, I cautiously imagined the future of KSI Riyadh.

Could you share the future plans of the Samyang Won-dong Cultural Foundation and what you hope to achieve through the activities of the King Sejong Institute Foundation?

As a cultural foundation, our goal is to promote the excellence of Korean culture worldwide. We believe the King Sejong Institute Foundation is an ideal partner for this mission. We hope that our collaboration with the Foundation continues on numerous projects that generate optimal synergy Ultimately, we want the Korean culture of sharing to spread globally as well.

The event was attended by both local Riyadh residents and officials from the Korean Embassy in Saudi Arabia, who enjoyed experiencing the Korean culture.