Korea-Norway Cultural Exchange Program

 

On October 27^th eight young Korean adopted students from Norway have visited South Korea. These students at a young age have visited South Korea with compassion and desire to learn about Korean culture.

 October 28^th Norwegian students experienced the Temple Life at Bongeunsa

When arriving at the Buddhist Temple, students showed a lot of interest and were very excited to learn about the Temple Life in Korea. Students were very energetic, walked around every corner and were instilled with fascination. Afterwards, the Bongeunsa tour started off with a tea ceremony, Zen meditation, and an activity where students had the opportunity to make lotus.

 

October 29^th Students got to visit the DMZ and the Kim-Chi Academy House

On Saturday, foreigners who visit South Korea always anticipate to visit the DMZ, which is a popular tourist attraction site, where tourist could actually experience the history of the north and south confrontation. Students also got to learn and discover about the dynamic essence of Kim-Chi. Students made Kim-Chi and wore Korean traditional clothes—Hanbok costume fittings. These students had a great time, and the thing which made the experience even more pleasant was actually experiencing it on Korean Soil.

October 30^th Korea-Norway Youth Exchange

On this day (Korean National holiday) nine Korean students participated in a cultural joint session with the Norwegian students. Students were paired and spent a significant amount of time visiting cultural sites in the city of Seoul, such as places in Gyeongbokgung Palace, Folk Village, and museums. Also during this time, all students participated in the “Shoes of Hope” event.

October 31^st Apgujeong High School and Yonsei University (lecture).

On Monday, students visited Apgujeong High School and participated in a 1^st year course of economics. Norwegian students also presented the economic status in Norway. On the same day, the Norwegian students visited Yonsei University and sat on in a lecture given by Professor Micheal Kim (Graduate School of International Studies) about Korean history and culture.

 November 1^st Visit to the Norwegian Embassy in Seoul

The day before departing, students had the opportunity to visit the Embassy of Norway located in Jeong-dong, Jung-gu, Seoul. This is where students heard a description about the relationship between South Korea and Norway. In addition, the new Ambassador of Norway compared and contrasted the similarities and differences of culture aspects between Korea and Norway in time when the meeting was in place.

November 1^st Students participated in the going away farewell party.

The Korea-Norway Program in a weeks’ course concluded with a going away farewell party. Korean and Norwegian students all assembled in the recreational seminar hall and were assigned to complete a survey form followed by personal free discussion—assessment process. Shortly after, students were engaged in a series of fun activities where kind words were shared.

The Korea-Norway youth exchange program was organized by the Seoul Youth Center for Cultural Exchange 'MIZY', which is operated by Korea National Commission for UNESCO. This Korea-Norway exchange program was held in cooperation with Norwegian Embassy in Korea, and the Korea Embassy in Norway, under the auspices of Seoul Metropolitan Government.