By Favour Ulebor, Abuja

The Korean Cultural Centre Nigeria (KCCN) is celebrating 15 years of fostering cultural ties, education, and community engagement between Korea and Nigeria.

Since its establishment under the Embassy of the Republic of Korea in 2010, KCCN has introduced Nigerians to Korean language, Taekwondo, K-pop, culinary arts, and cinema, promoting mutual understanding and collaboration.

As part of its anniversary week, the Centre hosted a special Korean Classic Movie Night and Hansik event on Tuesday in Abuja, showcasing Mother and a Guest (1961), a film rooted in Korea’s literary and cinematic heritage, alongside traditional Korean rice wine makgeolli and savory pancakes pajeon.

Speaking to Vanguard, Culture and Events Officer, Ms. Yunjin Lee, noted that the anniversary reflects four pillars of KCCN’s legacy, which are, education, cultural events, collaboration, and community.

Lee emphasized the importance of building local relationships.

She said, “We are doing the cultural week. Yesterday was the opening ceremony focused on our education programs like Taekwondo, Korean language class and K-pop dance.

“Today’s event is more about the two major fields we focus on when presenting Korean events, movies and Hansik.

“These days, you can experience other cultures through the Internet. But since we are located in Nigeria, I think we need to work more with Nigerians,” she said.

Highlighting recent collaborations, she added, “This month we brought Korean artworks to Nike Art Gallery and did a fashion show that combined Korea’s hanbok with Nigeria’s adire and batik. We are also partnering for a youth-focused event.”

Lee also spoke about deeper engagements with Nigeria’s film industry.

She said, “We know there are many talented Nigerian filmmakers. We’re looking forward to workshops, contests, and more exchanges, especially ahead of the Korean Film Festival later this year,” she said.