Busan Schools Meet 'ASEAN' Monthly... Busan Office of Education Hosts ASEAN Food Culture Experience Day

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Kim Yong-woo] The Busan Metropolitan Office of Education, in collaboration with the ASEAN Culture Center, operates a monthly program called ‘ASEAN Food Culture Experience Day’ tailored to school meals.

This program was established to enhance students' understanding of ASEAN through food and to provide opportunities for communication between Korea and ASEAN.

The Busan Office of Education has been running various experiential programs to allow people to experience ASEAN together with the ASEAN Culture Center.

In July, a total of three ASEAN cooking training sessions were conducted for 47 nutrition teachers in the Busan area, including two Malaysian cooking practice sessions and one in-house training at the Nutrition Education Experience Center. In August, ASEAN food recipes that can be used in school meals were distributed to schools.

On October 25, to commemorate the 30th anniversary of diplomatic relations with Vietnam, ‘Vietnam Food Culture Experience Day’ was held at Geoje Girls' Middle School.

On that day, traditional Vietnamese dishes such as ‘Pho’, ‘Banh Mi sandwich’, and ‘Spring Rolls’ were served in the school meals at Geoje Girls' Middle School, and nine students selected as one-day Vietnamese ambassadors wore traditional Vietnamese costumes while serving food.

Additional events included the installation of sculptures with the concept of Vietnamese street vendors at the school entrance and inside the dining hall, introduction of videos featuring unique ASEAN food mukbangs, and operation of a photo zone.

The Busan Office of Education plans to release videos of the Vietnamese food preparation process and event scenes filmed that day through the ‘Busan Metropolitan Office of Education School Meal Class’ YouTube channel.

Next year, to celebrate the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations with Indonesia, the Office of Education plans to expand the ASEAN food culture experience program by organizing an ‘Indonesia Food Culture Experience Day’ event.

The ASEAN Culture Center opened in Busan in September 2017 to mark the 50th anniversary of ASEAN’s founding. The center serves as a cultural platform of empathy and companionship connecting Korea and ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations), operating various programs introducing the history, society, and culture of the 10 ASEAN countries.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.