National Museum to host Kingdom’s first Korean cultural exhibition

The National Museum in Riyadh will host Saudi Arabia’s first ever exhibition of Korean history and culture this month. The exhibition opens on Dec. 19 and runs to March 15.

“After the huge success of the ‘ Roads of Arabia’ expo in Seoul, we are looking forward to this Korean cultural exhibition in Riyadh, which will hopefully enhance the Saudi public’s understanding of Korea’s cultural heritage and history,” South Korean Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Jo Byung Wook told Arab News on Friday.

The exhibition — organized in collaboration with the Saudi Commission for Tourism and National Heritage ( SCTH) — is part of a cultural exchange project between the two countries, which began in 2017 when “Roads of Arabia,” an exhibition of ancient artifacts from the Gulf region, developed by SCTH in cooperation with the Musée du Louvre, was on show at the National Museum in Seoul from May to August.

“Cultural exchange allows us to have a deeper understanding of each other, and it will certainly help strengthen our bilateral relations, especially cultural ties,” said Jo.

In the South Korean capital, the ambassador said that “Roads of Arabia” was seen by more than 100,000 people. He expressed his hope that the Korean cultural exhibition would prove just as popular in the Kingdom. He added that the president of the SCTH, Prince Sultan bin Salman, is expected to attend the exhibition’s opening ceremony, and that the director general of the National Museum of Korea, BAE Kidong, will lead the Korean delegation.

Meanwhile, Korean company POSCO Engineering and Construction has donated medical equipment worth SR100,000 to help children with disabilities in Saudi Arabia, especially those with impaired hearing.

The secretary- general of Saudi Arabia’s Disabled Children’s Association ( DCA), Awadh Al- Ghamdi, expressed his gratitude for the donation at a ceremony in Riyadh on Friday, also attended by Jo, noting that the equipment would vastly improve the children’s quality of life.

Jo said he hoped the donation would further strengthen the friendship between Saudi Arabia and Korea.