Korea Day events

The Embassy of the Republic of Korea is bringing two cultural events to town to celebrate Korea Day in Riga, from June 8 – 9, and presents a rare opportunity to the citizens of Riga to appreciate the Korean culture, ahead of the 20th anniversary of establishing diplomatic ties between Korea and Latvia in 2011.

Since establishing diplomatic ties in 1991, Korea and Latvia have been growing closer to each other. Yet due to its distance, Korea as a country may still sound somewhat remote to the ears of an average Latvian. These events are designed to bring Korea closer to the hearts of Latvians to enable them to experience the reality of Korea today through the window of culture, and enhance their understanding of Korea and its people (including its northern neighbors).

On June 8 (Tuesday), the Embassy will present two Korean movies in a row at K. Suns (Elizabetes iela 83/85, Berga bazaar), at 19:00 and 21:00. These movies are ‘mother’ and ‘crossing.’ The first film deals with the struggles of a mother trying to unravel the mysteries of a murder in which her mentally handicapped son is trapped. (People 18 or older may watch this movie) The second film tells a tragic story about a man (from North Korea), after illegally crossing into China to buy medicine for his pregnant wife, tries to reunite with his wife and son, but in vain. (People 12 or older may watch this film) Anyone interested in Korean movies is welcome to visit K. Suns along with friends Tuesday evening. Please rest assured that reservations are not required.

On June 9 (Wednesday), you will have a once in a blue moon opportunity to see a long-running and internationally acclaimed Korean musical “Nanta” (which literally means to strike recklessly) at 19:00 at Riga Congress Hall. The musical has a simple back story of three cooks attempting to finish preparing a wedding banquet within a strict time limit while the manager installs his incompetent nephew among the kitchen staff. The show involves acrobatics, magic tricks, comedy and audience participation. The unifying element throughout the musical is the use of traditional Korean beats and rhythms, which are performed with improvised instruments, such as cutting boards, water canisters and kitchen knives. The performance makes your heart beat with its various uses of unusual percussions, and is almost completely non-verbal. The very few words which are spoken are in English. Nanta is the longest-running show in Korean history.

The musical made its international debut at the 1999 Edinburgh Festival Fringe, where it received an award for best performance. Since then it has been staged in 18 countries around the world. Nanta has been performed on Broadway in New York City since 2004.

For ticket information, visit: Bilesuserviss
or call Ms. Inese Mihasjonoka (tel. 67951200)