Korean fest honors G-20

To honor Korea’s presence in both the G-20 Summit and in Pittsburgh, the city’s Korean… To honor Korea’s presence in both the G-20 Summit and in Pittsburgh, the city’s Korean community came together for its first annual Korean Festival yesterday.

When they found out that Korea will be represented at the Summit this week, Korean Pittsburghers wanted to honor the rare opportunity.

“We just couldn’t sit still,” festival coordinator Kwan Lee said. “We had to do something to celebrate this history-making event. This is first and, most likely, the last time Korea will be in Pittsburgh like this.”

The Korean Association of Greater Pittsburgh and the Korean Heritage Room Committee hosted the five-hour festival in the Cathedral of Learning commons room.

Patrick Shin, an emcee for the festival, said the occasion was more than just a celebration about the G-20, though. It serves as a teaching tool for second-generation Koreans and non-Koreans, too.

“Dr. Lee wanted this event to teach Korean descendants who weren’t born in Korea to learn more about Korean culture,” Shin said. “We also wanted to show foreign Koreans that the Korean community in the U.S. are welcoming them here, too.”

Guests enjoyed many presentations throughout the event. A local group of Pittsburgh students performed Taekwondo demonstrations for the crowd, including punching, kicking and fighting sets. The performers broke wooden blocks for the audience, too.

A traditional Korean wedding ceremony, called “pyebaek,” was performed, as well. The groom, dressed in a royal blue robe, and the bride, dressed in a green-and-red robe with a red-and-gold veil, quietly circled a small table during the demonstration. The bride, aided by two female helpers, and the groom both stood and sat multiple times while circling the table, a practice unique to Korean culture.

Attendees could also enjoy a variety of Korean food dishes, including kimchi, bool gogi, jap chae and goon mandoo. A table demonstrated how to make kimchi, a spicy cabbage and radish dish seasoned with ginger and fish sauce.

The event was held as a celebration of Korea’s involvement in the upcoming G-20 Summit and as a fundraiser for the future Korean heritage room in the Cathedral of Learning. Guests could buy food or donate to help fund the remodeling of Room 304 in the Cathedral, a regular classroom that will soon be flooded with Korean culture.

Jenny Hempen, another emcee, said the event showed non-Koreans how different Korean culture is from other Asian cultures.

“Chinese and Japanese culture is pretty well-known,” said Hempen. “But I think Korean culture has a lot of personality and passion.”

Shin agreed.

“We use different characters and speak a different language than the Chinese and Japanese,” he said.

“We have very different food, too. We’re a passionate people, and I think this event showed that.”