UCLan celebrates Korea Day
A pocket of Preston turned into a slice of East Asia after the University of Central Lancashire (UCLan) celebrated Korea Day.
Throughout the event, hundreds of students and staff came together to watch a number of traditional Korean music and dance performances, some of which used native instruments.
A group of students from UCLan’s K-pop Dance Society performed two K-pop dances while the chance to try on traditional Korean dress proved very popular with all ages.
Hangul calligraphy demonstrations attracted large numbers while others took the opportunity to sample Korean paper flipping, shuttlecock kicking and arrow throwing.
Stalls which used Minecraft to experience South Korea’s Gyeongbokgung Palace and allowed visitors to attempt to use Korean chopsticks were also well-liked.
"This fantastic event allowed us to share our culture and heritage with the wider University community, some of whom have never interacted with any Korean culture before"
— Dr Sojin Lim, MA North Korean Studies and Course Leader and Co-Director of UCLan’s International Institute of Korean Studies
Dr Sojin Lim, MA North Korean Studies and Course Leader and Co-Director of UCLan’s International Institute of Korean Studies, donned a traditional outfit, called a hanbok, to showcase her nation’s traditional outfit.
She said: “We offer the largest Korean Studies programme in the UK and are globally recognised for being a major centre for Korean studies.
“This fantastic event allowed us to share our culture and heritage with the wider University community, some of whom have never interacted with any Korean culture before. It was so wonderful to see some many people join in or stop and watch the performances.”
Among the attendees was Livia Faria, an MA student in Intercultural Business Communication. The 28-year-old, from India, who is a K-pop fan, commented: “I happened to be walking through and thought I must stop and take part as it was so bright and pretty. I’m really please I had the opportunity to try on the traditional Korean outfit, hanbok, which was fantastic, because my friend went to Korea and said it was beautiful so I wanted to see for myself.”
