Officials from the King Sejong Institute Foundation pose with participants of its cultural event in Paris. Courtesy of the King Sejong Institute Foundation

The King Sejong Institute Foundation (KSIF) hosted a cultural event introducing "hanji" (traditional Korean handmade paper) along with the Korean writing system Hangeul at its overseas office in France, celebrating the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.

According to the KSIF, Monday, a total of 100 participants joined the event to learn Hangeul and experience handcraft art using hanji at the government-run organization's head office in Paris on Friday and Saturday.

Co-hosted with the Korean Cultural Center in France, the event was also selected as one of the official 2024 Paris Olympics events.

Under the event title of "Hangeul and Hanji, the Korean alphabet and paper art," the KSIF provided a 30-minute Korean class and 60-minute handcraft class using hanji for each participant.

It introduced the origins of Hangeul and how each character is pronounced during the 30-minute Korean class. For the 60-minute hanji class, participants made red dahlias, the official flower of the 2024 Olympics, using hanji.

Separate from the 90-minute culture program, visitors to the office could also try on hanbok, traditional Korean costumes, and paint on a traditional Korean fan.

"I hope all the visitors had a great time during the two-day event," KSIF head Lee Hae-yeong said.