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| A poster of Bazaar Mekong |
By Yi Whan-woo
ASEAN Culture House (ACH) will host a commemorative bazaar for the inaugural Mekong-Republic of Korea (ROK) Summit in Busan on Nov. 27.
Bazaar Mekong will be held from Nov. 29 to Dec. 1 at the ACH Community Hall, showcasing handicrafts and fashion items from companies in five Mekong countries — Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam.
ACH, which the Korea Foundation (KF) manages, said in a press release that the three-day event will help promote ASEAN cultures.
The KF, which operates under the wing of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, is responsible for public diplomacy.
"Visitors will be able to see the diversity of Mekong regional culture as well as the unique socio-cultural values of each product as imbued by the participating companies," ACH said. "We hope this event can offer to the Korean public an easily accessible introduction to the originality and aesthetic beauty of the cultures of the five Mekong countries."
ACH added that some Mekong handicrafts were already relatively well-known in Korea for their "exquisite craftsmanship and beautiful colors."
Items to be displayed will include clothing, bags, cushions, baskets, tableware, silk crafts, lacquerware, ceramics, woven and dyed material as well as bamboo and rattan items.
The bazaar is free. For more information, visit the ACH website at ach.or.kr or call 051-775-2022.
ACH was set up in 2017 to mark the 50th anniversary of ASEAN's establishment.
It has two underground floors and four stories above ground. It has exhibition halls, a virtual reality room, a seminar room and a concert hall.
ASEAN has 10 members, including the five Mekong countries plus Brunei, Indonesia, the Philippines, Malaysia and Singapore.
Proposed by Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, the Mekong-ROK Summit is expected to discuss how to develop areas surrounding the Mekong River.
The summit will follow the broader ASEAN-ROK Commemorative Summit on Nov. 25 and 26, also in Busan.
Both summits mark the 30th anniversary of ASEAN-Korea dialogue relations.
