27th overseas Korean cultural center to open in Brussels

Korea will open a Korean Cultural Center in Brussels, Belgium, on Tuesday, hoping it will bring the two cultures closer together, the Culture Ministry said.

It is Korea’s 27th cultural center worldwide since the first two facilities opened simultaneously in Tokyo and New York in 1979.

The opening ceremony will be held on Tuesday evening (Belgium time) with about 300 dignitaries and figures in the cultural and art circle from both countries in attendance, the ministry said.

The one-story building located in the center of Brussels features a 100-seat cultural performance hall, an exhibition hall, a library and rooms for cooking Korean food.

The facility also houses a King Sejong Institute, a government-funded overseas center that offers Korean language courses, it added.

Korea has been keen on keeping friendly ties with Belgium since the two countries signed a treaty of friendly commerce in 1901. Belgium was one of the first countries to recognize South Korea in 1948 and dispatched armed troops to fight for the country during the 1950-53 Korean War. (Yonhap News)