Gyeongbuk Governor Kim, Gyeongju City Mayor Choi in full steam

Governor Kim Kwan-yong of the Gyeongsangbuk-do Province and Mayor Choi Yang-sik of the Gyeongju City are making an all-out effort to attain another great success of the Gyeongju Culture Expo--this time in Vietnam. This was disclosed at a recent interview with Chief Director Young Lee of the International Relations at the Gyeongju World Culture Expo Organizing Committee.

According to Lee, the 2017 Gyeongju World Culture Expo will host the inaugural meeting of the Korea-Vietnam Joint Organizing Committee at the Ho Chi Minh City Hall in Vietnam on Feb. 21, 2017, and declare the commencement of activities of the Ho Chi Minh City-Gyeongju World Culture Expo 2017. Here are details of the interview with Director Lee:
Hosted by the governments of the Gyeongsangbuk-do Province and the Gyeongju City and the Government of the Vietnam and organized by the Gyeongju World Culture Expo Organizing Committee, the Ho Chi Minh City- Gyeongju World Culture Expo 2017 will be held in and around the Ho Chi Minh City for a total of 25 calendar days from November 9 to December 3, 2017 on the theme of ‘Promotion of Common Prosperity of Asia through Cultural Exchange.’

At the inaugural meeting, Co-Chairman Kim Kwan-yong (governor of Gyeongsangbuk-do Province) and Co-Chairman Ngyen Thanh Phong (mayor of the Ho Chi Minh City) together with Mayor Choe Yang-sik of Gyeongju City are expected to deliver a message with an emphasis that the Gyeongsangbuk-do Province, the Gyeongju City and the Ho Chi Minh City should work in close coordination and cooperation for the promotion of common prosperity of Asia as well as all three regions of the two countries.
Governor Kim of the Gyeongsangbuk-do Province are expected to express his gratitude to Mayor Nguen Thanh Phong of the Ho Chi Minh City and other officials of the City for the kind arrangement made by the city authorities for the hosts of the Expo to use the plaza in front of the City Hall for a total of 25 days. They are also expected to emphasize the importance that the Expo will contribute to the promotion of cultural cooperation between Korea and Vietnam.

A total of over 20 members from each side of Korea and Vietnam are expected to join the Organizing Committee. They are expected to greatly contribute to encouraging the important personalities of the central and local governments and the cultural and civic organizations of the two countries to join the organization which would contribute to enhancing the image and public trust of the organization. There will also be a meeting where the Public Relations Ambassadors will be accredited for the successful hosting of the Ho Chi Minh City-Gyeongju World Culture Expo 2017.
Also to be included in the program are public performances by the Gyeongsangbuk-do Provincial Korean Classic Music Troupe, including the Arirang Taekwon dance, K-POP performances, and Vietnamese Bongsaeng Dance Troupe. There will also be presentation of folk cultural performances of the two countries and food and beverage festivals of the two countries were the people of the countries could have a hands-on experience in Korean culture and food and beverage.

The Gyeongsangbuk-do Province and the Gyeongju City governments are also planning to host an informal meeting between the business organization leaders of the two countries such as Samsung, LG and other companies.
Governor Kim Kwan-yong of the Gyeongsangbuk-do Province said, “Through this meeting, the Gyeongsangbuk-do Province, the Gyeongju City and the Ho Chi Minh City have begun a ‘Great Cultural Cooperation’ between Korea and Vietnam through this general meeting and I would say that we will host a grand Korean-Vietnamese festival where all the peoples of the world will have their fill of excitement and merriment as well as communication and exchanges in culture. I am sure that the Festival will spill over to other areas including a successful link to a economic expo for the two countries.” Then he said, I will do my best to make it happen!”
Secretary General Lee Dong-woo of the Gyeongju Expo said: “The Gyeongju Culture Expo, through successful hosting on a total of eight different occasions since 1998, has now become a representative national festival of Korea and a representative global festival of Korea and I am sure that it will further develop to a one-notch higher festival on the occasion of the ‘2017 Ho Chi Minh City- Gyeongju World Culture Expo’ which all the peoples of the world will enjoy to their heart’s content and share it as if it were their own festival. I will do my level best to make it happen and make it a sheer success.?