KOREA FOUNDATION

First Lady Kim Jung-sook visited the Tam Thanh Mural Village in Tam Ky—an hour south of Da Nang—during her official tour of Vietnam on November 10, timed to coincide with the Economic Leaders’ Meeting of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC).
  The first lady participated in repair efforts and congratulated the villagers for their efforts in transforming their neighborhood. In June 2016, the Korea Foundation, in cooperation with Tam Ky officials and the UN Habitat Vietnam Office, mapped out the plan to turn Tam Thanh into a Korean-style mural village. The Lee Gang Jun Institute of Public Design designed the murals and Noroo Paint & Coatings provided paint for the project. Once a quiet fishing village, Tam Thanh has become a popular tourist attraction with over 500 daily visitors since its rebirth as a mural village.
  The first lady not only enjoyed a tour of the murals but also took part in work to repair areas damaged by typhoons and heavy rains. She mended and painted details of the mural titled The Fish Heading for the Sea and reattached it to the wall. She offered encouragement to the KF staff, officials of the People’s Committee of Tam Ky City, and villagers working hand in hand, and showed keen interest in the children who, inspired by the murals, had become involved in the art community. Expressing her hope for the young artists’ potential to be further cultivated, she presented them with watercolors and other painting tools. The first lady was joined by some 40 people in her repair efforts, including four Korean artists, local painters, residents, children, and university volunteers.