From April 8 through 14, 2019, the Korea Foundation hosted a visit to Korea by eight next-generation leaders, currently engaged in international cultural exchanges, from four European countries – Denmark, Norway, Serbia and Sweden.

This year, the Republic of Korea celebrates the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations with Denmark, Norway and Sweden, and the 30th anniversary of diplomatic ties with Serbia. To introduce the culture of each country, a series of events takes place in both Europe and Korea. During the delegation’s stay in Korea, the European invitees met with Korean organizers of cultural events and enjoyed various exhibitions and performances.

The delegation included famous Serbian composer Damir Handanović, who is the director of the Belgrade Festivals Center (CEBEF), where he is in charge of producing most festivals taking place in the Serbian capital. He expressed his wish to invite Korean artists to the Belgrade Music Festival (BEMUS), one of the most prestigious classical music festivals in the Balkans. He also met with the Cultural Cooperation Team of the Seoul Metropolitan Government to discuss ways to promote exchanges with various festivals taking place in Seoul.

Planning various events on the occasion of the “Year of Culture” to commemorate the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations with Korea, officials from the Danish Ministry of Culture, Norway’s international film festival “Films from the South,” and the City of Stockholm in Sweden promoted cooperation in the museum sector, made preparations for a special Korean film festival, and observed Korean libraries’ digitalization systems, respectively.

In addition, the delegation attended concerts of the National Orchestra of Korea and the Korean Symphony Orchestra, and visited the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, the Culture Station Seoul 284 complex in the building that formerly housed Seoul’s main railway station, and the National Theater of Korea.

The successful visit of the delegation was realized through the Korea Foundation’s “Next-Generation Leaders” invitation program, which hosts visits to Korea by young leaders from different fields to maintain and promote international exchanges.