Marking the silver jubilee of official ties with Korea, the Romanian Embassy held a National Day reception last Wednesday in Seoul, featuring joint performances by Romanian and Korean artists.

Romanian musicians Grigore Lese and Zamfira Muresan and Korean artist Lee Kyung-hwa performed traditional songs and dances to accompaniment from wind and percussion instruments. 

“I have performed in many countries, and it is my belief that music is similar across the world due to God’s presence,” Lese told The Korea Herald. “Romania, as anywhere else, suffered historically. Our suffering is mirrored in our songs.”

Lese, who wrote a book about Romanian shamanism, said the country’s music was rooted in the shepherding and oral traditions going back centuries. The “hori-doine” music was included on the UNESCO Intangible Heritage list in 2009.

“Most people do not speak the truth in music,” the 62-year-old artist said. “They want to present false happiness for money and entertainment. As a result, people do not grasp the essence of music ― healing our souls.”

Romania was subject to communist rule for over 40 years, and Lese said the regime of former leader Nicolae Ceausescu (1918-89) tried to control music for political reasons.

“We couldn’t sing the songs we wanted,” he noted, adding that Ceausescu tried to standardize everything except for himself.

After the fall of communism in 1989, artists and musicians won the freedom to express and think for themselves, although it is still hard for some people to enjoy complete autonomy, according to Lese, as they are bound by their old modes of thought. 

Since tying the diplomatic knot in 1990, Bucharest and Seoul have enhanced bilateral relations on multiple fronts, from politics to commerce and culture. Romania participated in the Yeosu World Expo 2012 with a pavilion dedicated to the Danube Delta that attracted over 800,000 visitors, as well as the Nuclear Security Summit in Seoul the same year.

“Romania and Korea became strategic partners in 2008, and our cooperation is all the more necessary in a world shaken by tragedies and terrorism,” Romanian Ambassador Calin Fabian said in a speech. “On the basis of our commitment to democracy, we are confident that our endeavors will enhance mutual trust, respect for diversity and international solidarity.”

Lee Tae-ho, the deputy minister for economic affairs at Korea’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said cooperation in infrastructure and information communications technology had gathered momentum since the strategic partnership.

Bilateral trade has grown 67-fold over the last 25 years, reaching $1.2 billion last year. Korea is Romania’s second-largest export market in Asia after China, as well as a major investor in Romania’s shipbuilding, steel and heavy industries.

Last year, 17,000 Koreans traveled to Romania, and since 1987, 1,200 Korean students have studied Romanian language and culture at Hanguk University of Foreign Studies in Seoul, which has partnerships with the University of Bucharest, Iasi University and Babes-Bolyai University of Cluj in Romania.

By Joel Lee (joel@heraldcorp.com)