SAN JOSE (Yonhap News) ― South Korea’s cultural and sports delegation threw an extravaganza of traditional and contemporary Korean arts as well as Korean sports at the opening concert of the 2012 International Arts Festival (FIA) in San Jose Thursday.

Under the direction of Suh Bong-jun, the general manager of the Korean art and sports delegation, performers of namsadangnori, which dates back to the late Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910) and is No. 3 on UNESCO’s intangible cultural heritage list, and percussion group A-jack opened Costa Rica’s biggest cultural festival. It runs until March 25.

The Haegeum Plus, a crossover music group led by Kang Eun-il on the haegeum, a two-string Korean instrument; Bridge of Sol, a male popera trio; and Han’s Dance, a contemporary dancing company, performed various shows for the Costa Rican audience while a B-boy dance group and Korean martial art taekwondo practitioners introduced the splendid skills of Korea’s modern culture and sports.

A joint performance called “Battle Dance” by performers of namsadangnori, the B-boy group, taekwondoists and the Haegeum Plus was the highlight of the concert. Costa Rican President Laura Chinchilla Miranda and South Korean Culture Minister Choe Kwang-shik were in attendance.

Minister Choe said in his congratulatory speech that the people of South Korea and Costa Rica love each other’s culture and arts, and are already good friends.

The biennial arts festival is the biggest cultural event in the Central American nation with 5,000 artists from 20 countries participating. More than 1 million people out of Costa Rica’s entire population of 4.6 million are known to enjoy the festival’s various programs.

South Korea has been invited as the main guest country for the 2012 FIA. This year marks the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Seoul and San Jose.

The groups will put on eight performances at the National Theater in San Jose until March 25. They also held performances in Mexico City on March 10 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the diplomatic ties between South Korea and Mexico.

South Korea also will also operate three Korean pavilions at La Sabana Park near the National Theater to introduce various aspects of Korean culture, including “hanji” or traditional paper, food, traditional costumes, handicrafts and hangul, the Korean alphabet.

Nine representative Korean movies, including “Hwangjini,” will be screened at the park and other venues and an art exhibition showcasing 40 Korean paintings will also be held during the festival period.