S. Korea brings largest-ever 'Korea House' to Paris Olympics

South Korea will operate its largest-ever "Korea House" during the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics to promote its culture and serve as a support base for its athletes, the culture ministry said Friday.

Co-hosted by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korean Sports and Olympic Committee, the facility will run from July 25 to Aug. 11 at Maison de la Chimie (House of Chemistry), an international conference center in the heart of Paris.

The Korea House has been a tradition since the 2004 Athens Olympics, primarily functioning as a support base and sports diplomacy hub for athletes. However, this year's iteration in Paris will be significantly expanded.

The ministry said the decision to enlarge the scale of the program is based on expectations of higher visitor turnout, given the significance of the Paris Olympics. It marks the return of the Olympics to the French capital after a century and will feature the first outdoor opening ceremony.

Fifteen private and public institutions will offer a wide range of exhibitions, hands-on experience events and cultural performances for the Korea House, according to the culture ministry.

The Korea Tourism Organization will host events where visitors can experience Korean pop music, beauty and food from July 27-31 to spark interest in Korean tourism.

Activities will include K-pop cover dance performances, B-boying shows and interactive K-pop dance classes. Visitors can also enjoy Korean snack packages, makeup demonstrations and personal color consultations.

The Korea Arts & Culture Education Service will present "Project Hand," a joint dance performance by Korean and French youth, celebrating the Olympic spirit of harmony and friendship.

The performance will be choreographed by Ahn Eun-me, with support from her company and the French nonprofit dance group DaPoPa.

Highlighting the beauty of traditional Korean clothing of hanbok, the Korea Craft & Design Foundation will host a "hanbok fashion show" as a pre-event for "Korea Day" on Aug. 1.

The Korea National Ballet will perform in France, showcasing a blend of classical ballet and Korean traditional music.

The Publication Industry Promotion Agency of Korea will host a "book concert" to promote Korean literature. The event will feature live painting by picture book artist Lee Ki-hoon and literary discussions with Korean authors Baek Su-rin and Yoon Go-eun alongside French author Bernard Minier.

There also will be permanent exhibitions. The KTO will exhibit photos of major Korean tourist attractions visited by K-pop stars in collaboration with Hybe, the K-pop company behind BTS, NewJeans and Seventeen.

Visitors to the Korean tourism promotion booth can also see K-pop stage costumes and take selfies in traditional and modern hanbok against the backdrop of photos of the country's major tourist sites.

South Korea's food and entertainment conglomerate CJ Group and local brands, such as Cass and Paris Baguette, will also take part in the Korea House to introduce Korean films, food and music as well as their products to the local audience.

Korea House is open to all with free admission upon prior reservation via its website (teamkoreahouse).

"This is the first time related institutions have collaborated to operate Korea House on such a large scale," a ministry official said in a release. "We will provide diverse content to make Korea House a hub for supporting athletes, sports diplomacy and promoting Korean culture to the world." (Yonhap)