Ancient drum is centrepiece at event
AKorean musical instrument which dates back to the 9th Century was the centrepiece of a concert at Suva’s Grand Pacific Hotel last Friday. Hosted by the Korean Embassy, more than 500 people turned up to enjoy the concert, which had the theme “Feel the Heartbeat of Korea”.
It featured traditional music from Korea, especially the “Janggu” an hourglass shaped drum, which according to the oldest Korean historical records may be traced back to the reign of King Munjong (10471084) of Goryeo, one of the three ancient Korean kingdoms located in the northern and central parts of the Korean peninsula. The band showcased a variety of Korean music from the traditional ones to newly interpreted pieces mainly with the Korean drum. Present in the audience were members of the public along with the Speaker of Parliament, Dr Jiko Luveni and permanent secretary for the Ministry of Education, Heritage and Arts, Alison Burchell. Embassy of the Republic of Korea counsellor and consul Jeong-yeol Kwak said the concert was initially for 250-300 people, but they had to request the hotel staff to extend the hall and include more seats as more people turned up to enjoy the live concert.
Mr Kwak said the concert was a celebration to mark the 48th anniversary of friendship ties between Korea and Fiji.
“Fiji and Korea have been long and great friends of each other, supporting each other in hardship. Fiji is Korea’s best friend in the Pacific and we always stood by each other’s commitment,” he said. “We need to facilitate more on the people-to-people exchange and also in the cultural exchange which is what the concert was organised for. “We hoped that many Fijians would turn up and have a better understanding of the Korean culture which was what we saw today,” Mr Kwak said.
He said Fiji and Korea have been co-operating in the international arena.
“Currently, the Fiji-Korea friendship is supporting the people-topeople exchange and the cultural events as part of their expansion of co-operation,” Mr Kwak said.