ASEAN-Korea Festival 2013

I am not a person who is fond of K-pop. Many people, even some of my friends trying to insist me that K-Pop rocks!! But, IMHO, they just have the same face, both among the girls or the boys. Sometimes, I just couldn't even differentiate which one is the boy, and which one is the girl. Sorry, no offense. :)

But, one day I got an invitation from my friend, which is really maniac of K-pop. During her life until now as high-school graduated, all she knows is only about Korea, she didn't even recognise who J.K. Rowling is. Well, I gotta thank her that she gave me the invitation to an ASEAN-Korea Festival 2013. First I doubted that I might get "roaming" as I don't know anything bout K-Pop. But she told me that it is not only about K-Pop but the Korean traditional culture.

And, viola! I attended the event, last night at Balai Kartini. The invitation said that it will start at 7 p.m. I thought I might be late since the traffic was so crowded, and jammed everywhere. I just took the ojek to Balai Kartini at 7 p.m. but luckily the event have not started yet. It just started at 8 p.m. I do not want to argue about the culture, it will be in another post.

This event was co-hosted by the ASEAN-Korea Centre in Indonesia and later, Brunei Darussalam. It is held in order to increase trade, accelerate investment flow, invigorate tourism and enrich cultural exchanges between ASEAN and Korea. It is clear that ASEAN has a very important role in global interaction. Korea tries to grabbed the attention from ASEAN, particularly Indonesia by creating this opportunity. Indeed, the event comprised of the cultural show. They even taught the audience how to sing Arirang properly.

As Indonesia now has a quite big economic growth rate, many countries saw a big opportunity for them to increase the trades. It could start from the cultural exchanges, scholarship, any foreign aids, etc. One of the soft diplomatic way in international relations. Why Indonesia? It is because of a very high Indonesian concern of K-Pop. As we know that K-pop fever has already spread through Indonesian youth, by its drama, music or reality show. Then, as it was expected, many audiences attended the show. This was a formal event actually, there were some diplomats and functionaries, many youths, and surprisingly kids. Yep, I guess they have just played a great start for any subsequent diplomatic reasons.