The ASEAN-Korea Center has officially opened the Seoul ASEAN Hall, a new cultural hub for ASEAN-Korea exchange, on Friday, with an inaugural exhibition titled “Fruity Fruit: Colorful Days in Southeast Asia.”
The opening coincides with ASEAN Day, marking the 58th anniversary of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.
Located on the first floor of the Korea Press Center, the Seoul ASEAN Hall is designed as a multipurpose exhibition venue. It aims to highlight cooperation across culture, tourism and economy between Korea and the ASEAN member states: Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.
Since 2009, the ASEAN-Korea Center has maintained a small information corner on the eighth floor. The newly relocated and expanded space on the more accessible first floor signals a push to increase public visibility and greater access for all, said the ASEAN-Korea Center Secretary-General Kim Jae-shin during the opening remarks.
“The Seoul ASEAN Hall is an open space designed to introduce the rich cultures of the ASEAN region to the Korean public and to foster future-oriented cooperation based on mutual understanding," said Kim.
According to the ASEAN-Korea Center, all 10 ASEAN member states took part in planning and executing the exhibitions and programs.
“I hope this space will serve as a key platform for ASEAN-Korea collaboration,” said Kim. “Through visits to the Seoul ASEAN Hall, I also hope the Korean public will engage more closely with Southeast Asia’s rich cultural resources and deepen their understanding of the region.”
The Seoul ASEAN Hall is divided into a permanent exhibition area showcasing cultural and tourism assets from the ASEAN countries and a special zone dedicated to thematic exhibits.
Running through Feb. 13, “Fruity Fruit: Colorful Days in Southeast Asia” offers a sensory exploration of daily life in Southeast Asia and the region's heritage through the motif of tropical fruit.
Once viewed as exotic and rare, Southeast Asian fruits have become commonplace in Korea, reflecting the growing trade and cultural exchange between the regions.
The exhibition uses fruit as a metaphor for bridging tradition and modernity, locality and universality, through artworks, crafts, lifestyle items and digital media sourced from across ASEAN, according to the ASEAN-Korea Center.
Senior officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, ambassadors and other representatives from ASEAN member states and leading figures from the cultural and business sectors attended the opening ceremony.
The Seoul ASEAN Hall is open to the public Monday through Friday, from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. It is closed on national holidays.
ASEAN-Korea Center also operates Jeju ASEAN Hall at the Jeju International Peace Center, which opened in 2022.
hwangdh@heraldcorp.com
