The National Gugak Center will go on a tour in three Central Asian nations to celebrate the 25th anniversary of establishing diplomatic relations with them, South Korea's culture ministry said Thursday.
The center, designed to promote Korean traditional music and performances, will hold concerts in Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan, starting this Saturday.
The undated photo provided by the National Gugak Center shows Korean artists dancing and playing traditional musical instruments. (Yonhap)
Titled "Meet Korean Culture on the Silk Road," the first performance will take place in the capital city of Ashkhabad in Turkmenistan on Saturday, followed by Tashkent in Uzbekistan on March 29 and Astana of Kazakhstan on March 31.
The center's performance team, 62 members total, will show colorful aspects of Korean culture including the Korean traditional wedding ceremony, folk songs and traditional dances. A collaborative performance with local artists is also scheduled.
The ministry said the event is aimed at expanding cultural exchange with the region, a home to many ethnic Koreans who are descended from Koreans forced to move there by the Soviet Union in the 1930s. Recently the region has become an important market for Korea's entertainment products. (Yonhap)