SEOUL: A unique cultural festival filled with the music and dance of Saudi Arabia were attracting South Korean visitors at the heart of Seoul Thursday.
The festival is Saudi Arabia’s global cultural campaign titled “Bridges to Seoul” organized by the King Abdualaziz Center for World Culture marking the historical visit of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to the country in 21 years.
“This Saudi Arabian cultural exhibition is the first in Asia,” Kim Hee-joo, a staffer for Ithra, told Arab News. “This main objective of this campaign is to promote Saudi Arabian cultures in South Korea, many of whose people are still unfamiliar with Saudi cultures despite the close relationship between the two governments.”
The exhibition, which runs from June 24 to July 3, is being held at the convention center of Grand Hilton Seoul. The exhibition offers an opportunity for South Koreans to experience the richness of Saudi culture and heritage.
Visitors can to try on Saudi costumes and accessories for photo sessions and get their Saudi Arabian names written in Arabic script.
“We’re happy to share Saudi cultures with South Koreans. This is a great opportunity for introducing our cultures to South Koreans and bridging cultural gaps between the two countries,” said Muhammed alduhaim at the photo costume booth.
South Korean visitors were enjoying the exhibition with great interest.
“When you talk about Saudi Arabia here, many people including me just think of desert extremely hot weather and something like that,” Choi Bok-nam, 55, said. “However, I’m impressed to see beautiful flower and get to know Saudi’s weather conditions vary after seeing pictures displayed here. I want to travel to Saudi next time.”
For some elder men, who had been in Saudi Arabia for work, the exhibition offered a chance to reminiscent of the old days in Saudi.
“I had worked at Saudi Arabia as an engineer for a year about 30 years ago,” Lim Joo-hwan, 64, said. “This event makes me reminisce about the days in Saudi, and actually I’ve learned new aspects of Saudi cultures here though I lived there just for a year.”
Joo Duk-choon, 76, was fascinated by Taif roses and products made from the local flower.
“I had little knowledge of Saudi Arabia. I thought Saudi was just an oil-rich nation.” he said.
Hanan, 29, from Saudi Arabia said there still need to be communications programs to spread Saudi cultures to South Korea.
“I think South Koreans don’t know about Saudi Arabia as much as Saudi Arabians know about Korea,” said Hannah, who have studied at a Korean university for international studies. “Young generation in Saudi Arabia know much about Korean hallyu (the Korean wave of pop culture), dramas, cultures, but I feel Saudi Arabia doesn’t enough media and stories they can tell to South Koreans.”
She hoped the crown prince’s latest visit to South Korea would be a turning point for getting ever closer between the people of Saudi Arabia and South Korea.
“I feel like the crown prince has made a lot of changes in Saudi, especially for women, media and culture, so I think it’s changing a lot,” she added.
Prince Mohammed spearheads the Vision 2030 economic reform plan aimed at diversifying the Kingdom’s oil dependent economic structure to other industry fields, such as culture and tourism as well as information and communications technology and new sources of energy like hydrogen.
Saudi Arabia seeks to bridge cultural gaps with South Korea
Saudi Arabia seeks to bridge cultural gaps with South Korea
- Seoul welcomed historical visit of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to the country in 21 years
- A grand cultural exhibition, part of Saudi's global cultural campaign titled “Bridges to Seoul,” to held for Koreans
Eastern Region’s green initiative shows remarkable progress
- Initiative has focused on introducing climate-appropriate trees and flowers
- Eastern Province Municipality emphasized the project’s collaborative nature
DAMMAM: Significant strides were made by the Eastern Province Municipality last year in its efforts towards vegetation expansion and anti-desertification.
The initiative, designed to counter industrial pollution, improve air quality and move towards environmental sustainability, has focused on introducing climate-appropriate trees and flowers while adhering to scientific afforestation guidelines and controls.
Throughout the year, the municipality launched 87 initiatives involving more than 1,200 volunteers across 60 parks. This included the Dammam Corniche waterfront and its walking trails where some 680,000 trees and shrubs were planted, complemented by 7.7 million flowers, expanding green coverage by 205,000 sq. meters.
Work was also carried out to rehabilitate streets and other spaces, while technical upgrades included maintenance work on 200 pumps and the installation of irrigation networks covering 30 km of streets.
There was also progress for the park investment program, with four parks already under investment management and 400 more designated for future opportunities.
The municipality emphasized the project’s collaborative nature, highlighting the active participation of community members, government bodies and the private sector companies. Its inclusive approach aims to cultivate a lasting environmental consciousness and ensure sustainability practices are passed down to future generations.
Riyadh to host second edition of Model of Care Forum
- Forum aims to introduce the Saudi healthcare model locally and internationally, highlight success stories, and outline future goals and ambitions
- Forum represents the second phase in a four-part strategic process in the healthcare sector’s transformation
RIYADH: Riyadh will host the second edition of the Model of Care Forum under the patronage of Minister of Health Fahad Al-Jalajel.
Organised by the Health Holding Co. on Jan. 28-29, the forum will be held at Malfa Hall in Prince Mohammed bin Salman Nonprofit City.
The forum aims to introduce the Saudi healthcare model locally and internationally, highlight success stories, and outline future goals and ambitions in line with the Saudi Vision 2030.
It also promotes partnership in healthcare among individuals and their families by taking necessary measures to maintain their health, ensuring the provision of healthcare that meets societal needs according to the highest quality standards.
The forum represents the second phase in a four-part strategic process in the healthcare sector’s transformation, aimed at developing the healthcare model in the Kingdom.
The Health Holding Co. is playing a key role in enabling healthcare delivery through 20 health clusters across Saudi Arabia.
Directorate imposes new exit visa requirement
- Directorate addressed employers, stating that if a resident identity is valid for fewer than 30 days, the final exit visa may not be issued
- Resident identity must be renewed for the issuance of the final exit visa
RIYADH: The Saudi General Directorate of Passports has said that resident identities must be valid for at least 30 days when applying for a final exit visa.
The directorate addressed employers, stating that if a resident identity is valid for fewer than 30 days, the final exit visa may not be issued. In that case, the resident identity must be renewed for the issuance of the final exit visa.
It noted that if a resident identity is valid for more than 30 days and fewer than 60 days, a final exit visa may be issued for the resident identity’s remaining period.
If the resident identity is valid for 60 days or more, the final exit visa may be issued for 60 days only.
The directorate noted that employers may issue final exit visas for their sponsored workers or affiliated family members through the Ministry of Interior’s Absher Business platform, and the Muqeem portal.
Saudi king and crown prince congratulate Joseph Aoun on being elected president of Lebanon
- In a congratulatory cable, King Salman wished Aoun success and the Lebanese people further progress and prosperity
RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman congratulated Joseph Aoun on being elected president of Lebanon on Thursday.
In a congratulatory cable, King Salman wished Aoun success and the Lebanese people further progress and prosperity.The crown prince sent a similar cable.
Lebanon’s parliament voted Thursday to elect the country’s army commander, Joseph Aoun, as head of state, filling a more than two-year-long presidential vacuum.
Thursday’s session was the 13th attempt to elect a successor to Michel Aoun, whose term ended in October 2022.
King Abdulaziz Public Library launches Thara Saudi, Athar initiatives
- Through Thara Saudi the KAPL offers a number of programs that contribute to highlighting cultural tourism
- Athar is an interactive platform inspired by one of the pioneering national documentation projects, “The Encyclopedia of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia”
RIYADH: General Supervisor of the King Abdulaziz Public Library Faisal bin Abdulrahman bin Muammar launched the Thara Saudi and Athar initiatives at the third Saudi Tourism Forum in Riyadh.
Through Thara Saudi the KAPL offers a number of programs that contribute to highlighting cultural tourism, while Athar is an interactive platform inspired by one of the pioneering national documentation projects, “The Encyclopedia of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.”
Speaking at the launch, Muammar said: “The Thara Saudi Arabia is the initiative through which the library seeks to provide a distinctive cultural tourism experience that reflects the rich and diverse history and culture of the Kingdom and aims to present a sustainable vision that contributes to enhancing local culture in global languages.
“It comes as an expression of the efforts of 40 years of cultural and cognitive work, which created a national legacy and a sustainable impact,” added Muammar.
He said the KAPL also launched the Athar initiative, which represents the historical monuments and landmarks mentioned in the encyclopedia of Saudi Arabia, enabling tourists to discover the Kingdom in an unprecedented way.
This project is designed to enhance the Kingdom’s position as a global destination for cultural tourism, and reflects the great diversity Saudi Arabia enjoys.
Through its pavilion at the Saudi Tourism Forum, which was held from Jan. 7-9 at the Riyadh Front, the KAPL seeks to enhance cultural awareness and provide knowledge content that contributes to highlighting the Saudi national heritage, and encourages the exploration of the Kingdom’s unique cultural destinations.
In November the KAPL launched an initiative to position Saudi Arabia as a top global destination for cultural tourism by attracting visitors worldwide to explore the library’s diverse branches.
This project aligns with the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 by strengthening national identity, fostering cultural exchange, and supporting sustainable development.
Through its efforts, the KAPL seeks to showcase Saudi Arabia’s rich heritage, folk arts, and traditions, while deepening citizens’ connections to their cultural roots and contributing to economic diversification.
