| Latvian and EU flags fly side by side at the Latvian Embassy in Korea. / Courtesy of Embassy of Latvia |
By Kate Kalinova
Located in northeastern Europe, Latvia is the only Baltic nation to have an embassy in Korea. Although the two democratic nations formalized ties in 1991, the Latvian Embassy was established more recently, in late 2015, reflecting the deepening cooperation between the two countries.
“When we first set up the Embassy, very few Koreans had much knowledge of Latvia. Over the last few years, we've put a lot of emphasis on increasing mutual awareness of our two countries, while continuing to pursue trade initiatives and economic cooperation,” said Latvian Ambassador to the Republic of Korea Peteris Vaivars.
| A bird walks in summer grass field in Latvia. / Courtesy of Peteris Vaivars |
With close to half of its territory covered by forest, boasting over 12,000 rivers and more than 2,000 small lakes, Latvia is well-known as a haven for wildlife. Although tourism is largely on hold this year, there are still opportunities to catch a glimpse of Latvia in Korea's own lush, green region.
Hosted as a collaboration between the Latvia Embassy in Seoul, Suncheon Picture Book Library and Latvia Literature, “The Horse” is a unique exhibition that showcases the stories and art of Latvian authors united by a common theme. Between May 19 and July 12, visitors can experience the stories of Latvia in this special exhibition in Suncheon, a city in South Jeolla Province that is well-known as the "ecological capital" of Korea.
“When the Suncheon Picture Book Library reached out to us about this project, we were thrilled to support the initiative. After some discussions, we settled on the theme of horses as a well-loved symbol in Latvian stories ― which is easily carried across to the Korean context,” Ambassador Vaivars commented.
In addition to the exhibition itself, visitors can experience how one story, “Listen to Your Heart, Little Wooden Horse,” comes to life in a special puppet show performance directed by Paul Matthews.
An expert storyteller, theater-maker and radio broadcaster with over 20 years of experience in Korea, Matthews felt honored to bring the Latvian story to life for Korean children.
“Creating Listen to Your Heart, Little Wooden Horse for the Suncheon Picture Book Library has been an amazing experience…The dedicated team of performers have been creating shows for children in Suncheon for almost a decade and it was a lot of fun to challenge them with a new kind of show,” he said.
“In this time of COVID-19 it feels strange that Korea is not on lockdown and that children have the opportunity to go and see live performances. I'm very grateful for that and I hope this little puppet show about a little Latvian wooden horse will entertain, educate and bring a little hope and joy into the world.”
| The “Listen to Your Heart, Little Wooden Horse” cast gathers in front of their theater stage at the Suncheon Picture Book Library / Courtesy of Paul Matthews |
Although COVID-19 has made travel between Latvia and Korea impossible for the time being, the Latvian Embassy is looking forward to continuing to develop tourism links between the two countries once the pandemic is overcome. Last year, the Latvian Embassy, Latvian Investment and Development Agency, Riga Airport and Riga Tourism Development Bureau collaborated with Hanjin Travel to launch inaugural direct flights connecting the capital cities of the two nations, Riga and Seoul. Operated by Korean Air, the three 2019 flights were all close to sold out as Korean tourists flocked to enjoy the Latvian summer season.
Due to the success of last year's initiative, there were plans to further expand the number of flights again this year. However, the pandemic has put a temporary halt on further developing tourism links for the time being. Ambassador Vaivars expressed his optimism in seeing the cooperation deepen over the coming years, while cultural diplomacy and trade continues to bring a greater awareness of Latvia to Korea.
Kate Kalinova is a project officer at the Australian Chamber of Commerce (AustCham) in Korea.