Egypt, South Korea celebrate 30 years of diplomatic ties with traditional, modern Korean shows

Egypt Today

01-05-2025

A show performed by QUEEN team, Saengdonggam group and Beatboxer Jung Min-hyuk in an event marking 30 years of diplomatic ties between Egypt and South Korea in Cairo on April 30, 2025- press photo
CAIRO – 1 May 2025: To mark the 30th anniversary of the establishment of the diplomatic Egyptian-South Korean relations, the Korean Embassy in Cairo organized a cultural event titled 'Dialogue of Five Thousand Years of Civilization' at the American University in Cairo, Tahrir Campus, on Wednesday.
The event aimed at honoring the historic diplomatic relationship between South Korea and Egypt, promoting cultural exchange and mutual appreciation between the two nations, and exploring future avenues for cooperation in arts, culture, and education.
The event started with a high-level symposium divided into six sessions, uniting artists, academics, and culture leaders from both nations. K-culture visionary Yoo Jae-heon, CEO of Yoozam Studio, delivered the keynote address on 'K-pop and K-Culture Design,' highlighting South Korea's transformative influence on global culture. The panelists of the symposium tackled topics about Arts Education in the Digital Age; Art as a Catalyst for Social Change; Theatre Exchange: Bridging Traditions; Smart Cities & Heritage Preservation; and Photography's Digital Evolution.
The symposium resulted in the 'Cairo Arts Declaration' to support the global artistic cooperation. The declaration was signed by 11 luminaries including Korea's Cho Kang-hoon and Egyptian architectural engineer and former actor Seif Abo El-Naga. It aims to safeguard artistic freedom and diversity, to foster cross-cultural co-creation and education, and to build sustainable creative ecosystems.
The celebration included an amazing Korean cultural show titled 'Colorful Korea.' The show featured a mixture of traditional and modern Korean culture. The Korean Saengdonggam (SDG) Crew performed one of the amazing LED dances, wowing the Egyptian audience and the other diplomatic representatives of different countries.
Meanwhile, the Korean lady group, QUEEN, amazed the audience with a modern vision of 'gugak' (traditional Korean music).
Moreover, the captivating performance of Korean beatboxer Jung Min-hyuk received an enthusiastic interaction from the audience. One of the most memorable moments featured a soundscape that simulated the audio of a film being created, portraying the picture of Egyptian civilization. The performance was met with loud applause and was widely regarded as one of the event's highlights.
In a video, Minister of Culture of Korea Yu In-chon praised the event as 'the dawn of a new art ecosystem where artists from Korea, Egypt, Asia, and Africa co-create without boundaries, harnessing cross-continental collaboration to shape tomorrow's cultural landscape.'
Reflecting on three decades of bilateral cooperation, Kim Yong-hyon, ambassador of Korea, underscored the evolution of the relationship between the two countries. He noted that South Korea and Egypt have successfully elevated their partnership to a strategic level, marked by deepened collaboration in the fields of trade, technology, and culture.
'Egypt, as the cradle of civilization and a Middle Eastern cultural nexus, and Korea, a global powerhouse of K-Culture, have long thrived on dynamic exchanges,' he said, adding that These cultural bonds will undoubtedly deepen bilateral cooperation and solidarity over the next 30 years, turning shared aspirations into reality.