Nocturnal view of the breathtaking world heritage Changdeok Palace 

where about 100 native English teachers will participate in a program, 

titled “Taste of K-Culture for Native English teachers in Korea: Moonlight 

Tour at Changdeok Palace” on April 26 between 8 p.m. and 10 p.m

The Korea Culture and Information Service (KOCIS) is holding the “Culture Event of the Month” series for foreigners staying in Korea between March and July, a program in which foreigners are given an opportunity to enhance their understanding of Korean culture and experience it. 

As 1.5 million foreigners reside in Korea and more than 10 million foreigners visit the country yearly, KOCIS, which has focused on introducing Korean culture overseas, is now turning to promoting Korean culture among foreigners residing here, said Byeon Sang-bong, an assistant director at KOCIS. 

The program started with the playing of the nonverbal performance “TAL,” combining Taekwondo, a Korean martial art, and percussion plays that ran from March 13 through March 15 at K-Art Hall, an exclusive Korean culture theater in Olympic Park in southeastern Seoul. About 100 foreign English teachers working for schools in Seoul were invited to the event.

About 100 native English teachers will be invited to “Taste of K-Culture for Native English teachers in Korea: Moonlight Tour at Changdeok Palace” slated for April 26 between 8 p.m. and 10 p.m. The event will be an opportunity for foreigners to take a look at the beautiful world heritage Changdeok Palace during the full moon. The tour program will take participants from Donwhamun Gate to Jinseonmun Gate, Nakseonjae House, Buyongji Pond, Bullomun Gate, and Yeongyeongdang Hall. After watching a traditional Korean performance at Yeongyeongdang Hall, the program participants will walk along the forest trail of the Secret Garden and return to Donwhamun Gate.

The “Cultural Event of the Month” series in May will be a tour to the National Museum of Korean Contemporary History, in which foreigners will be given a look at lives and historical traces of Korea’s modern history. The museum is a historical-cultural space that documents and passes down Korea’s proud history of remarkable growth in the face of overwhelming challenges and hardships.

Byeon said the June event will involve foreigners’ viewing Korean movies and the July event will take program participants to Korea House, a traditional Korean building that introduces the culture and lifestyle of Koreans, where foreigners can experience traditional architecture and a classical atmosphere. The building was built in the style of the Joseon Dynasty’s Jagyeong-jeon building at the Gyeongbok Palace. 

KOCIS plans to serve as a “cultural center,” designed to help foreign residents enhance the understanding of Korean culture and adapt to the Korean environment by evolving the Cultural Event of the Month series into a regular brand program catering to foreigners staying here, he said. In this regard, KOCIS’s website, Korea.net, will install a special arranged corner for information about cultural events for foreigners’ easy access.

In cooperation with the National Museum of Korea, the National Folk Museum of Korea, and the Korea Culture Heritage Foundation, KOCIS plans to push for the exploration of cultural projects catering to foreigners. KOCIS also plans to work out mid- and long-term plans to introduce Korean culture to foreigners after conducting a survey of cultural activities foreigners favor.

A traditional Korean troupe will perform at 

Yeongyeongdang Hall for the visiting foreigners.

KOCIS Director Woo Jin-yung said, “We expect Korean culture to have an opportunity to further upgrade Hallyu (Korean Wave) by harmonizing with foreigners in Korea and overseas, as the Hallyu fever has evolved into a new arena in which people around the world can rejoice when Korean culture encounters foreign culture.”