UMS holds Korean Carnival Grand Night
KOTA KINBALU: More than 1,000 people came for the Korean Carnival 2018 Grand Night held at the Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS).
The adviser for the carnival, Dr Kang Myoung Sook, who is also a senior lecturer teaching Korean language courses at the university, said that the annual event was attended by students, lecturers and members of the university as well as the public.
“This annual event which was organized by UMS students, had gained popularity since it was first organized in UMS back in year 2016. This year, the seats for the event were fully booked with tickets sold out weeks before the event,” she said.
She also said that students had put on numerous stage performances of Korean traditional and modern songs and dances, martial art and dramas that were tentatively arranged into four seasonal changes which showcased the unique cultural elements of Korea.
The highlight performances during the event include “Arirang”, a Korean folk song, K-pop song and dance performances by student clubs, namely Incubator, Funz Crew and M.A.D Crew as well as Taekwondo performance.
Dr Kang described the performances by the students as impressive.
“Korea is now at the center of a new cultural phenomenon called Hallyu, or Korean Wave. As K-pop and Korean dramas win popularity not only in Malaysia but also over the world, cultural and artistic content produced in Korea is being consumed and reproduced around the world. Until recently, Korea was recognized as a country that achieved rapid economic growth, and now Hallyu has provided it with an opportunity to be known as a new source of cultural and artistic content, an active initiator of cultural exchange and a provider of cultural dynamism and diversity,” Dr Kang said.
The event was officiated by Dean of Centre for the Promotion of Knowledge and Language Learning, Associate Professor Dr Jualang Azlan Hangsau, Director of Centre for Internationalization and Global Engagement, Professor Dr Ho Chong Mun, Advisor of Korea Carnival, Dr Kang Myoung Sook and Deputy Deans of Centre for the Promotion of Knowledge and Language Learning, Dr Mohd Azri Ibrahim and Dr Mohd Sohaimi Esa as well as the President of Korea Carnival 2018, Liang Jin Wei who is also a student of UMS.