A yearlong celebration of Korean culture in France came to an end Tuesday with an awards ceremony in Paris that recognized more than 80 French and Korean cultural figures who took part in the cultural exchanges between the two countries.

Korean Culture Minister Kim Jong-deok awarded a total of 88 cultural figures, including Didier Deschamps, head of the Chaillot National Theater.

Korea organized more than 200 cultural events at 120 cultural institutions in some 60 cities throughout France from Sept. 18, 2015 to Tuesday. A total of 4,596 Korean artists presented more than 200 works, ranging from visual arts, performances and music to literature, attracting some 2.2 million visitors, according to the Korean Culture Ministry.
 

“The yearlong Korea-France Year played an important role in strengthening the 130-year-old friendship between Korea and France,” said Kim, at the awards ceremony in Paris on Tuesday, which was attended by more than 150 cultural figures.

The techno music parade Techno Parade Seoul BAM! attracted an audience of more than 400,000, the largest number ever to attend Korean culture events in France. Major Korean performances and concerts were sold out, including the opening performance of Jongmyo Jeryeak, a dance performance series by Korean dancer Ahn Eun-mi, Korean traditional music performances and the Korean film festival in Paris. The solo photo exhibition by Bae Bien-u at Chateau de Chambord was extended due to popular demand.

The 2015-2016 Korea-France Year presented more than 400 Korean and French cultural events in both countries. It kicked off in Paris last year with Korean cultural programs, followed by a series of French cultural events in Korea that will run until the end of this year.

By Lee Woo-young (wylee@heraldcorp.com)