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Slovak Embassy hosts calm Christmas gathering

Published: 05 Dec. 2025, 15:46

SEO JI-EUN
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Slovak Ambassador to Korea Marek Repovský delivers remarks during the annual Christmas gathering at the Embassy in Yongsan District, central Seoul, on Thursday. [SEO JI-EUN]

The Slovak Embassy in Seoul hosted its annual Christmas gathering on Thursday evening, welcoming diplomats, community members and friends of Slovakia for an evening featuring traditional holiday dishes.

Ambassador Marek Repovsky opened the reception by noting that the event was held “366 days later than last year — deliberately one day later — just to see whether anything would happen on this exact date.”

His remark referenced the turbulent events of Dec. 3 last year, when former President Yoon Suk Yeol declared martial law in the night, adding humorously that the timing ensured that “whatever happened last year would not become associated with our event.” He also expressed appreciation that Korea had “navigated […] the past year smoothly and strengthened its democracy.”

Guests help themselves to a buffet of traditional Slovak Christmas dishes prepared by embassy staff and volunteers during the annual holiday reception in Seoul. [SEO JI-EUN]

Guests were invited to enjoy a spread of classic Slovak Christmas foods prepared by embassy staff and volunteer cooks, including kapustnica (a sauerkraut-based soup), bryndzove halusky (soft potato dumplings) and fried cutlets, as well as a variety of Christmas sweets and pastries, including chimney bread.

A spread of traditional Slovak Christmas food is displayed at the embassy’s holiday gathering, including bryndzove halusky (potato dumplings with sheep cheese), kapustnica (sauerkraut soup), zemiakovy salat (potato salad) and holubky (stuffed cabbage rolls). [SEO JI-EUN]

A dish of freshly baked chimney bread -- a sweet, spiral-shaped pastry known as trubky — served at the embassy’s holiday reception in Seoul. [SEO JI-EUN]

The annual reception is part of the embassy’s efforts to share Slovak holiday customs with the international community in Korea.

BY SEO JI-EUN [[email protected]]