A five-day K-fest
South Korea and the Philippines has had a flourishing relationship throughout the years, sharing and experiencing each other’s cultures in a multitude of ways. Just one manifestation of that mutual love is the Cebu City Korea Day which returns this year w
Presented by the Cebu Korean Association alongside the Cebu Provincial Government and SM
City Cebu, Cebuanos, Koreans and anyone in between can enjoy a vast cultural experience of Korean life.
Starting off with a film festival premiere tonight at Cinema 5 of SM
City Cebu, the 2017 Korean Film Festival features five full-length contemporary Korean films that are bright, high-spirited and sentimental. Themed “Boldness of Youth,” opening the fest is “How To Steal a Dog,” with “The King of Jokgu,” “Very Ordinary Couple,” “My Brilliant Life” and “Twenty” showing the next days until Sunday, October 1. Screenings are free admission and on a first come first serve basis.
Also opening today is the Korean Bazaar at SM City Cebu’s Northwing Atrium with the Incheon Gaehang, a team that dedicates their efforts to creating job opportunities for the disabled, as exhibitors.
In the bazaar, everyone is welcome to take part in creating dalgona and ssalgangjung (Korean sugar and rice sweets), as well as shop for photo cards, handmade fabric goods, accessories, folding fans, and even a grill oven, among many others. A Massage Zone is also open for anyone who fancies all sorts of relaxation like aroma therapy, scalp massage, cool cream massage and hand massages.
Three events are scheduled tomorrow, September 29: the Korean Culture Exhibit, the Korean Food Festival and the finals night of the Cebu KPOP Star.
To be held at the SM Main Mall Atrium D, the Korean Culture Exhibit by the Korean Women’s Association of Cebu will offer insight on Korean life. Consisting of four areas namely the Experience Area, Exhibition Area, Free Food Tasting Area and Selling Area, people are invited to try a hand at the art of tal (Korean traditional mask), key chain making, in jul mi (Korean traditional dessert) making, booche (Korean traditional hand fan) making, and even try on Korea’s traditional hanbok clothing.
The exhibition area presents Korean paper crafts called hanji, traditional costumes and accessories, musical instruments like kwaenggari, sori-buk, janggo and jing, as well as insight on the daily life of ancient Koreans.
The selling area will also display all sorts of traditional pouches and bags.
Five delicacies have been prepared for the Food Tasting Area: the Korean rice cake tteok, the famous kimchi and bulgogi, Korean noodles known as japchae and Korean rice wine.
Foodies can have their fill in the Korean Food Festival on the 29th as well. Located at the SM V-Hire Terminal Open Parking Area, the Korean Women’s Association will offer bulgogi rice, bibimpap, kimchi, guksu, topoki and japchae.
Meanwhile, the search for the 2017 Cebu KPOP Star will conclude 6 p.m. at the SM Northwing Atrium. Twentyfive finalists will compete in the grand finals for a chance to win up to P50,000.
The five-day celebration wouldn’t be complete without the main event set to unfold on September 30 at the Northwing Atrium. The 7th Cebu City Korea Day brings esteemed and beloved Korean talents such as Double8, a KPOP idol group under M Entertainment with members Narrow, Chansol, Euihyun, Taegon, Taeseob.
Seoul’s very own BuJi-Hwa team will also be special guests. The group’s name means a mixture of performances composed of traditional dances, folk songs, pansori, theatricals, fusion-chamber music and percussions. The team will be performing samgo-moo, an energetic and exciting Korean drum dance as performers bend their backs or move their body in different ways to hit the drums – displaying great flexibility, sense of rhythm and exemplifying the dynamics of Korean dance with dignified uniform movement.
The Namsan Salmunori team from Busan will display their skill in salmunori, a genre of percussion music using the small gong kwkwaenggwari, a larger gong called jing, an hour-glass shaped drum known as janggu and the buk, a barrel drum similar to the bass drum. The genre is derived from two Korean words, salmu meaning four objects and nori meaning play.
Open to all, the celebrations leading up to the 7th Cebu City Korea Day was created to further strengthen the bond between Cebu and Korea, as well as bring a piece of Korea to Cebu for everyone to appreciate.