Korea-Africa Summit Welcome Dinner: "Harmony of Africa's Dynamism and K-Culture"

by Seo Sojeong

Published 03 Jun.2024 22:41(KST)

70 Delegates Including Leaders from 48 Countries Attend

President Yoon Suk-yeol is conversing with African leaders at the reception of the Korea-Africa Summit welcome dinner held on the 3rd at the Shilla Hotel State Guesthouse in Jung-gu, Seoul. [Image source=Yonhap News]

The first dinner with leaders from 48 African countries visiting Seoul for the Korea-Africa Summit on the 3rd showcased the dynamism of the African continent combined with the power of K-Culture.

The Presidential Office introduced that the dinner held at the Shilla Hotel in Seoul to welcome the leaders of the 48 African countries harmonized Korean history and culture with African dynamism.

On this day, the delegation of 70 people, including the heads of state from the 48 African countries, headed to the banquet hall following a route where the 'beauty of Korea' was alive. The waiting room where the delegation stayed before entering was decorated with the folding screen artwork ‘Chaekgado,’ which contains the culture, arts, philosophy, and spatial design of the Joseon Dynasty, as well as contemporary trends, along with white porcelain vases.

The photo wall where the leaders took commemorative photos was designed with traditional Dancheong patterns and colors that harmonize with Hanok architecture, and the reception hall was created with furniture, props, and media art interpreting Korean tradition. In the reception hall, furniture, cushions, candlesticks, and lamps made by holders of intangible cultural heritage, which were previously exhibited at Heungbokjeon Hall of Gyeongbokgung Palace (a space formerly used for receiving foreign envoys), were placed. A large media art piece depicting 18th-century Joseon royal events was also installed as a video.

The corridor leading to the entrance of the banquet hall was decorated with a media wall measuring 3 meters high and 13 meters long, expressing 'the path toward a dynamic future together.' The banquet hall stage, approximately 17 meters wide and 5 meters deep, was arranged in an oval shape surrounded by the heads of state and officials from the 48 participating countries. A Presidential Office official explained, "The tables of each country's leaders around the stage symbolized the path leading to a dynamic future between Korea and Africa."

President Yoon Suk-yeol is delivering a dinner speech at the welcome banquet of the '2024 Korea-Africa Summit' held on the 3rd at the Shilla Hotel in Jung-gu, Seoul. [Image source=Yonhap News]

The approximately 35-minute dinner performance embodied the companionship and cultural pride of Korea and Africa. A famous K-pop dance team representing Korea performed a dance using the fan dance under the title 'Path of Dreams,' along with an introductory video about K-pop. The performances in acts 1 to 3 combined traditional cultures of Korea and Africa with cutting-edge technology. A renowned media performance group presented a show blending Korean traditional culture such as drum dance and percussion with media art, followed by a dynamic stage by the World Taekwondo Federation demonstration team accompanied by media art.

Kim Young-gi, a master holder of the national intangible cultural asset Korean traditional vocal music ‘Gagok,’ performed, and a 20-member performance choir combining dance and song sang ‘Waka Waka,’ the theme song of the 2010 South Africa World Cup. The traditional Korean play troupe 'Namsadang' performed Namsadangnori (a national intangible cultural heritage and UNESCO intangible cultural heritage), blending their pungmul (traditional percussion music) and acrobatics with the lively rhythms and dances of an African percussion group.

The welcome dinner menu also harmonized the traditions and cultures of Korea and the African continent. From appetizers to desserts, all menu items were given unique names wishing for solidarity and harmony between Korea and African countries.

Before the meal, lotus root and purple sweet potato chips, along with gim bugak (seaweed crisps), were served on cassava chips. Cassava is an ingredient also used as a staple food in Africa. The appetizer was called ‘Four Rivers.’ It consisted of four cold dishes (vegetable wraps, scallop cold dish with yuzu sauce, cucumber slices with avocado, and crab meat wrapped in radish with caviar) and spinach basil paste, representing the four major rivers and flows symbolizing Korea and Africa.

For the fish dish, grilled golden tilefish was topped with a French-style pastry tuile and served with couscous mixed with gochujang and salad. A Presidential Office official explained, "The fish dish embodied the flow of the seas connecting the Atlantic, Indian, and Pacific Oceans."

Following this, bibimbap topped with colorful namul (seasoned vegetables) and tofu soybean paste soup with clams were served as Korean dishes, and the final dessert included traditional Korean moyakgwa (honey cookies), chocolate, and yuzu iced tea, symbolizing the meeting of Korean and African traditions and modernity.