National Day Of Korea
The Korean Embassy in Zimbabwe recently held its National Day Of Korea Reception at the Harare International Conference Centre…
It was an event filled with showcasing and celebrating Korea Zimbabwe exchanges and I was honoured to receive an invitation to attend…
There were Korean brands that were exhibiting some of their latest products. I had never fully appreciated until then, how much of an influence, Korean brands such as Samsung, LG, Hyundai and Kia have.. You might not own something by them but they are instantly recognisable to almost anyone, anywhere in the world…
The programme officially begun with the respective national anthems of Zimbabwe and Korea, with display of the diplomatic relations between the two countries by having a Korean lead the Zimbabwean national anthem and a Zimbabwean leading the Korean national anthem.
Ambassador Park gave a speech in which he highlighted some of the activities supported by the Korean Embassy that have fostered cultural exchange, as well as advanced the bilateral relations, between Zimbabwe and Korea. Officially Zimbabwe and Korea bilateral relations begun on 18 November 1994, next year will mark 30 years of Korea and Zimbabwe diplomatic relations.
Korea has often been referred to as a successful story of transformation, and it has been an global manufacturing hub for decades… and it is transforming again into to a global powerhouse for future industries which include electric vehicles, smart phones, 5G and 6G wireless technology. South Korea is also a global powerhouse in exporting its culture to the world in the form K-Pop, K-dramas the likes of Gangnam Style, award winning movie Parasite and award winning series Squid Game.
Some guests recognised by Ambassador Park include James Mapodzeke a researcher from SIRDC which with the help of a KOPIA Zim have developed a system to grow potato seed using hydroponics, which can significantly cut down on seed potato imports, members of the KOICA Alumni Association of Zimbabwe patronising social projects such as clean-up campaigns and availing medical supplies to hospitals in Harare and Bulawayo, drilling boreholes in Mashonaland; a Korean doctor working in Zimbabwe, who with support from Korean government established PCR testing from before COVID pandemic.
It was not all science and research but included young people such as Joy Thompson who the youngest person to win a Korean cooking contest, Natsiraishe Maritsa who practises taekwondo and trains young girls raising awareness of early marriages and a group of K-Pop dancers called Extreme Dreamers who won the K-Pop World Festival Zimbabwe and also perfomed at the reception.
I got to try out some authentic Korean cuisine…. I asked for spicy cause I thought I could handle spicy… I have come to learn that there is regular spicy food, then there is Korean spicy… I was totally not ready. Next time, next time… I will definitely be ready.
I saw some familiar people, as well as made some new friends from the Zimbabwe Scouts Association who had recently returned from their visit to Korea for the 25th World Scout Jamboree. I had not realised until then that Zimbabwe still had an active scout association.
And my recollection of the day would not be complete without the soundtrack of the event which was Marimba Music played by MIB Marimba Crew…
Busan City was one of the 3 finalists contending to host the showpiece World Expo 2030 held every five years. The results are in and the vote went to Riyadh Saudi Arabia, congratulations to them, while Busan didnt make it they gave a spirited presentation.
Becoming The Muse 
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