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| ▲ Visitors attend the 2022 National Brand Up Exhibition held at the National Museum of Korea in central Seoul on Feb. 17, 2021. (Yonhap) |
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| ▲ The Dec. 24, 2021, file photo shows the Gilt-bronze Pensive Maitreya Bodhisattva statue, a South Korean national treasure, on display at the National Museum of Korea in central Seoul. (Yonhap) |
(LEAD) nat'l brand-exhibition
(LEAD) 2022 National Brand Up Exhibition showcases Korea's rich cultural heritage
(ATTN: UPDATES with more details in paras 8-10 ; ADDS photo)
SEOUL, Feb. 17 (Yonhap) -- An exhibition highlighting Korea's 5,000-year history and rich cultural heritage kicked off at a museum in Seoul on Wednesday.
The 2022 National Brand Up Exhibition, co-organized by the nongovernmental organization Voluntary Agency Network of Korea (VANK) and Yonhap News Agency, South Korea's key newswire, opened at the National Museum of Korea in central Seoul for a six-day run under the theme "Beauty of the Five Thousand Years of History"
The opening ceremony was attended by VANK President Park Ki-tae and Hwang Joon-suk, head of the National Hangeul Museum, among others.
Yonhap and VANK, which internationally promotes South Korea and its history online, have co-hosted the exhibition since 2009 to help increase awareness of the country's national and cultural brand.
Featuring the success of "Squid Game" and BTS, organizers shed light on how South Korea's current soft power prowess stems from the country's rich printing heritage, which goes all the way back to the world's 1st metal printing technology introduced in Korea in 1377 during the Goryeo Kingdom.
The exhibition showcases the significance of "Jikji," known as the world's oldest extant book printed with movable metal type, and "Hunminjeongeum," an official manuscript describing the principles of the Korean alphabet.
The exhibition also spotlights the beauties of various cultural treasures, such as the Gilt-bronze Pensive Maitreya Bodhisattva statue and the Great Gilt-bronze Incense Burner from the Baekje Kingdom era.
In the opening ceremony, Park said South Korea has seen a remarkable growth of its international stature as of late but still has room for improvement in promoting the true beauty and heritage of its culture.
"Despite the awareness of our pop culture and other aspects of modern South Korea, people around the world are not fully aware of the shining history and cultural heritage that our country possesses," Park said in a welcoming speech.
Seong Ghi-hong, president and CEO of Yonhap News Agency, said the rise of "hallyu," or the global popularity of Korean pop culture, did not happen by accident and owed its roots to the "bright history and culture" of Korea.
Attendees will also be able to see various activities carried out by VANK youth volunteers to promote Korea's history and culture overseas. VANK said the exhibition is expected to help widen the understanding of Korea's brilliant history and culture.
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