05 June 2021
H.E Shaikha Mai Began a Visit South Korea and Enhancing Cultural Relations on the Agenda, H.E: Embracing culture to achieve sustainable development is a common denominator the two friendly nations
H.E Shaikha Mai bint Mohammed Al Khalifa, President of the Bahrain Authority for Culture and Antiquities, began on Saturday, the 5th of June 2021, a four-day tour in South Korea at the invitation of the Korea Foundation. The visit is part of the continuous efforts to strengthen cultural relations between the two countries.
H.E will meet during this tour with a number of ministers, government officials and those in charge of major cultural institutions in the Korean capital, Seoul. The program also includes a visit to a number of the city's most prominent cultural institutions, museums and historical sites.
Speaking for the occasion, H.E said: “We are promoting the most beautiful cultural image of the Kingdom of Bahrain in South Korea, a friendly nation that has always been present to enrich our local cultural movement and proudly cherish our mutual human relations that are increasingly growing and developing day after day.” H.E added: “Though both countries remain separated by the phenomenon of geographical distance, Bahrain and South Korea share the same unifying passion and dream that is of culture as an ideal tool to enrich the civilizational unique experience of both countries and further consolidate the relations between our peoples”. H.E stressed the importance of the common strategic vision of both countries to invest in the cultural movement and assets, such as archaeological sites, tangible and intangible heritage elements to create a strong infrastructure for cultural tourism and sustainable development.
H.E expressed her sincere thanks to the Korean Foundation for the invitation bestowed upon her to visit South Korea during these difficult times, when the world is in dire need to focus on human relations and culture as a source of hope, in order to face the implications and effects of the COVID-19 pandemic crisis on people and countries around the world and prepare recovery in the near future.
On the first day of her visit to South Korea, H.E Shaikha Mai met with Mr. Yoo Jin Ryong, the former Minister of Culture, and Dal-Seung Hwang, the chairman of the Galleries Association of Korea and they discussed ways of boosting cooperation, and enriching the cultural scene heavily. Indeed, both Bahrain and South Korea societies share mesmerizing unique creative culture phenomena, manifested obviously through exhibitions that mirror the outstanding aspects of both countries and the deeply rooted history heritage, H.E argued.
Afterwards, H.E made a visit to the Jongmyo Shrine, which is the earliest surviving Confucian royal ancestral shrine. Built in 1394, the shrine was dedicated to the memorial services for the deceased kings and queens of the Korean Joseon Dynasty that encompasses song, dance and music. The ritual is practiced once a year on the first Sunday in May and is organized by the descendants of the royal family. Jongmyo Shrine registered as a UNESCO World Heritage Site for its outstanding architectural value. It consists of two main memorial halls – Jeongjeon and Yeongnyeongjeon – and several auxiliary buildings all of which house the spirit tablets of members of the former royal family, deities, as well as the kings’ loyal subjects
