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| Celebrities and social media influencers talk during "On Connect Seoul x Ulaanbaatar," a virtual event to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Seoul's sisterhood agreement with the capital city of Mongolia, Monday. / Courtesy of Seoul Metropolitan Government |
By Bahk Eun-ji
The Seoul Metropolitan Government held a virtual event, Monday, to celebrate the 25th anniversary of its sisterhood agreement with the Mongolian capital Ulaanbaatar.
Titled "On Connect Seoul x Ulaanbaatar," the event was broadcasted live on the city government's YouTube channel with small-scale filming at a video conference studio of the city government, and UBS Broadcasting Station Studio in Ulaanbaatar to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
"The event is meaningful in attempting a new way of exchanging cultures abroad by communicating in real time," said Park Jin-young, a director of the city's public communications division.
Korean and Mongolian celebrities and social media influencers participated in the event. There was an online performance promoting both cities, a talk show and a live cooking show hosted by Kim Soo-mi, a famous actress here.
Mongolian fusion dance team UB DRUMS ASPAC opened the event with a traditional percussion dance performance.
The first part began with a performance by Go Suk-jin Percussion, a percussion group pioneering a new realm of Korean music by combining EDM and Korean traditional music. Under the concept of a king's incognito travels in which the king would sneak around Seoul, the performance introduced attractions and night views of Seoul such as Yeouido Saetgang Bridge, Dongdaemun Design Plaza (DDP) and Gyeongbok Palace.
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| Actress Kim Soo-mi, center, cooks during a virtual event to celebrate the 25th anniversary of sisterhood between the two capitals of Korea and Mongolia, Monday. / Courtesy of Seoul Metropolitan Government |
It was then followed by a talk show in which famous Korean and Mongolian entertainers and influencers shared urban cultural trends. Five people from each city talked about the cultural similarities and differences of the two cities.
The second part was followed by an online performance by Mongolian artist Gangtogoo, and a food concert hosted by Kim Soo-mi, a famous actress who has been portrayed as warm-hearted mother through various entertainment shows and TV dramas here.
Kim, who is active in various cooking and entertainment programs such as "Mom's Touch" on tvN and "Law of the Jungle" on SBS, showed her cooking skills with MIKO, a famous Mongolian chef.
Korean singer Jung E-han from the group The Nuts performed with a theme of comforting people around the world who are frustrated with the prolonging pandemic. Jung's performance was filmed around Seoul, including Seoul Forest, Olympic Park and Han River Park.
The event closed with an interview video delivering the wishes and thoughts of the citizens of both cities.
"The physical distance between Seoul and Ulaanbaatar is only 2,000 kilometers, which is not as far as I thought," Park said.
"It is regrettable that citizens could not join the event in person at a meaningful place to celebrate the 25th anniversary of our sisterhood, but I hope it was an opportunity to confirm that the hearts of citizens of the two cities were connected."
