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K-pop and Korean language celebrated in president’s visit to Vietnam

Published: 23 Jun. 2023, 04:57 Updated: 23 Jun. 2023, 11:56

Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, right, and Vietnamese Vice President Vo Thi Anh Xuan, left, greet K-pop fans at the Korea-Vietnam Night of Cultural Exchange at the National Convention Center in Hanoi Thursday. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]

HANOI — Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and first lady Kim Keon-hee joined over 2,500 people at a cultural night event featuring K-pop and V-pop artists in Hanoi on Thursday.

The Korea-Vietnam Night of Cultural Exchange, which took part as Yoon kicked off a three-day state visit to Vietnam, aimed to "strengthen cultural bonds between the two countries and promote friendship and harmony between their future generations," according to the presidential office.

The show featured K-pop acts, including singer Kihyun, a member of boy band Monsta X, and Korean boy band AB6IX. Popular Vietnamese artists, including MONO and Min, also performed at the event.

The event was an occasion for collaboration between the two countries' artists, with AB6IX and a K-pop cover dance team in Vietnam performing together to the boy band's song "Loser."

V-pop singer Min in turn drew attention by covering Korean singer IU's "My Old Story" in Korean.

"You seem to have studied Korean a lot," Yoon told Min afterward, according to his office. "I enjoyed listening to the song sung in Korean."

Yoon told AB6IX, "I wondered why young people are so passionate about K-pop, but my heart raced too. I think all generations can relate."

He also praised Kihyun for "overwhelming the stage with his charisma" despite performing as a solo act.

Attendees included officials from both countries, athletes, local Hallyu, or Korean Wave, fans, students from Korean-related educational institutions and Korean students studying abroad, according to the presidential office.

Vietnam's Vice President Vo Thi Anh Xuan and Culture Minister Nguyen Van Hung, alongside Korean Culture Minister Park Bo-gyoon took part.

Park Hang-seo, former head coach of the Vietnam national men's football team, and Nguyen Văn Toàn, a Vietnamese football player, also attended.

The presidential couple took part in a series of events highlighting Korean culture and language and youth outreach during their Hanoi trip.

President Yoon Suk Yeol and first lady Kim Keon-hee take a selfie with Vietnamese students learning the Korean language at Vietnam National University in Hanoi Thursday during a state visit to Vietnam. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]

Earlier Thursday, they attended a meeting at Vietnam National University with some 70 people, including students learning Korean and language instructors.

Vietnamese students held signs that said, "My dream is to go to a Korean university," "Let's do it together," and "Dream" in Korean.

"I heard that the fervor of Vietnamese students to learn Korean was remarkable," Yoon said, saying reality was not different. He also told students, "The Korean government will do its best so you can easily learn the Korean language and technical terms necessary for [your area of interest]."

The presenters included a high school student planning to study abroad in Korea to become an artificial intelligence developer, a Korean college student majoring in Korean aiming to become a Korean language translator, a tech company employee who had been a scholarship student selected by the Korean government and an employee of a Korean company operating in Vietnam.

The meeting was held in Korean, without any interpreter.

Separately, first lady Kim attended a bike donation event for underprivileged children at the SOS Children's Village school in Hanoi Thursday, according to the presidential office.

She took part in a "Bike Run" program donating bikes to Vietnamese children who commute long distances to go to school.

Since 2015, about 1,000 bicycles have been donated through this program.

"I hope that the friendship between Korea and Vietnam will deepen through this state visit and the donation of bicycles to the SOS Children's Village," Kim was quoted by the office as saying.

First lady Kim Keon-hee makes a heart to Vietnamese students at a ″Bike Run″ donation event at an SOS Children's Village school in Hanoi Thursday. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]

BY SARAH KIM [[email protected]]