“As a Danish ambassador, I am frequently asked, ‘What is the secret to Denmark’s happiness?’” Danish Ambassador Thomas Lehmann said in a speech at the opening ceremony on Sept. 2.

Noting that Denmark has consistently topped international studies and surveys on happiness, he added, “Of course, this does not mean that all Danes are always happy, or that we have a perfect society free of problems.”

Citing findings by the Happiness Research Institute in Copenhagen, Lehmann said the root causes of Denmark’s nationwide well-being lie in a strong civil society, well-functioning democracy, a high level of social security, trust and freedom, material prosperity and the balance between work and life.

“Our goal is to share these findings with Korea with the hope of sparking a debate on societal happiness.”

The exhibitions is being hosted by the Danish Embassy in Seoul and co-organized with the Nami Island Foundation. The opening was attended by Dutch Ambassador Lody Embrechts, OhMyNews CEO Oh Yeon-ho and the Korean Committee for UNICEF Deputy Executive Director Kim Kyung-hee, as well as 80 others.

The ceremony was followed by the bestowal of honorary citizenship to ambassadors and their spouses present at the event, a bicycle ride for children using Copenhagen’s iconic Christiania cargo bike and a lecture on happiness by Oh, who published a book on Danish happiness in 2014. Danish food and drinks were provided.

By Joel Lee (joel@heraldcorp.com)