A photo exhibition featuring the happy lives of Danes will run on Namido, northeast of Seoul, until Nov. 6.
Showing picturesque parts of Copenhagen and people enjoying their time with family, “Happy Danes” offers a glimpse of why the Nordic country regularly tops world happiness reports.
Denmark came first in the United Nations’ World Happiness Report in 2013, 2014 and this year, and came in third last year.
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Danish Ambassador Thomas Lehmann speaks at the opening ceremony of “Happy Danes” on Namido, northeast of Seoul, Sept. 2. (Danish Embassy) |
“As a Danish ambassador, I am frequently asked, ‘What is the secret to Denmark’s happiness?’” Danish Ambassador Thomas Lehmann said in a speech at the opening ceremony on Sept. 2.
Noting that Denmark has consistently topped international studies and surveys on happiness, he added, “Of course, this does not mean that all Danes are always happy, or that we have a perfect society free of problems.”
Citing findings by the Happiness Research Institute in Copenhagen, Lehmann said the root causes of Denmark’s nationwide well-being lie in a strong civil society, well-functioning democracy, a high level of social security, trust and freedom, material prosperity and the balance between work and life.
“Our goal is to share these findings with Korea with the hope of sparking a debate on societal happiness.”
The exhibitions is being hosted by the Danish Embassy in Seoul and co-organized with the Nami Island Foundation. The opening was attended by Dutch Ambassador Lody Embrechts, OhMyNews CEO Oh Yeon-ho and the Korean Committee for UNICEF Deputy Executive Director Kim Kyung-hee, as well as 80 others.
The ceremony was followed by the bestowal of honorary citizenship to ambassadors and their spouses present at the event, a bicycle ride for children using Copenhagen’s iconic Christiania cargo bike and a lecture on happiness by Oh, who published a book on Danish happiness in 2014. Danish food and drinks were provided.
By Joel Lee (
joel@heraldcorp.com)
