In all the excitement of the day, often the messages from the sponsors, both financial and political, can be overlooked. But it’s worth taking a look at the messages to put the day in context and consider it in the bigger picture of UK-Korea relations.
“Opening” the Dano Festival was one of the first (if not THE first) official duty of the Republic of Korea’s new ambassador to the UK, H.E. Chun Yung-woo, who arrived in London about a week ago, while the welcome message from Mayor Boris is also from a relatively new incumbent. It was good to have international Brit Alan Timblick on the scene as well representing the City of Seoul.
So here are the VIP messages in full.
First, the Korean Ambassador
I am delighted to welcome you to the second DANO Korea Summer Festival. Last year’s festival was a great success and I hope that you will have an equally enjoyable and memorable experience at this year’s event.
This is an important year for Koreans around the world as it marks the 60th Anniversary of the Founding of the Republic of Korea. Over the past 60 years the Korean people have worked hard incorporating versatility and innovation to build the position of success and strong standing that Korea enjoys in today’s modern world. So I hope you will share in our celebration of that hard earned achievement.
With the valuable support of the Korean community, we look forward to the Festival becoming an important annual event in London’s cultural calendar, as it enables members of all nationalities in multi-cultural London to participate in and share our celebration of Korea’s rich cultural heritage
I hope you will join us and help to make this year’s festival as successful as the last, by enjoying the spirit of joy and harmony as we celebrate together.
With best wishes,
Chun Yung-woo
Ambassador
Republic of Korea
Next, Mayor Boris:
A very big welcome to Trafalgar Square for this year’s Dano Festival
London’s Korean community, although relatively small, plays and important role in the capital’s continuing success and the Korean Summer Festival is a chance for Londoners and visitors alike to see traditional and contemporary Korean music and dance performances
Have an enjoyable day with high levels of yang energy
Boris Johnson
Mayor of London
Third, Alan Timblick
Congratulations to London on celebrating the DANO Festival! As a former Londoner but now a long-term resident of Seoul, I am delighted that the two cities of Seoul and London are recognizing each other in this way, sharing a strong interest in culture and the community. Maybe Seoul still has a way to go to emulate the global reputation of London, but with the initiative of our Mayor, Mr. OH Se Hoon, we have made a good start in making life agreeable for the foreign communities living in Seoul. As Head of Seoul City Governments Global Centre, I would encourage Londoners, and visitors from all over the world, to come to Korea and see for yourselves what we have to offer. Our mountains and rivers, our coastline and lakes, our long history as a Kingdom and our current vibrant, hi-tech democratic society are full of promise and enjoyment. My colleagues at the Seoul Global Centre are ready to help you in every way and solve any problem, great or small.
Enjoy DANO day and when you come to Korea, make sure you
“Enjoy Seoul to the full!”
Alan Timblick OBE.
Head of Seoul Global Centre
And last but no means least, Justina Jang of the Korean Cultural Promotion Agency, who organised the whole event.
It gives us great pleasure to welcome you all to the second Dano Korea Summer Festival, Seoul Day.
This year, we present a programme with three themes. First of all, I have invited YB and Tomi Kita to celebrate the Korean government’s 60th anniversary.
Secondly, the ecological music performance group Noridan makes its debut in Europe. They will perform with recycled items and address the environmental issue in a fun and enjoyable way.
Lastly, Madang (which means ‘square’ in Korean) Project will be pre-launched this year. This is a music project to enhance creativity and artistic collaboration between two countries. Traditional Korean musicians and the Guy Barker Quintet will start their journey together and showcase this next year in the Square.
To develop this project further, we have two major developments. First of all, Seoul Metropolitan City is involved in this festival. I really hope that this cultural exchange programme can deepen the relationship between these two cities. Also, we have launched a new logo for the event. The patterns are based on the great absolute, representing the entity of the cosmos. The main colours are blue, green, yellow and peach, representing subtleness the harmony of Korea’s culture and people.
With the kind support of the Mayor of London and the Greater London Authority, Seoul Metropolitan City, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, and the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of Korea we have worked together to stage this year’s festival. I especially would like to thank our new ambassador Mr Yong Woo Chun, Mr Alan Timblick (Seoul Global Centre) and Mr Kyu Hak Choi (Korean Cultural Attaché), Mr Young Bae Na (LG) and Mr Sang Bum Kim (Asiana Airline) for their incredible support for the festival. Last but not least, I would like to thank all our staff, CLP, sponsors, volunteers and friends of KCPA who have contributed to the success of this festival.
I hope that you all have a great day with us!
Justina Jang
Producer
Dear Philip, Would you please ask Mayor Boris what he means by “relatively small Korean community?” I’ve heard that London has the largest Korean ex-pat community in Western Europe, about 70,000+ in the New Malden area alone. But perhaps, my information is out of date and inaccurate. Or perhaps, you could shed some light on this matter. Best regards, Grace
Grace,
I think Boris’ comments are on the size of the Korean community in relation to other ethnic communities in London (eg. Chinese, South American, Middle-Eastern) and I do not think he was saying there were few Koreans here.