SEOUL: Saudi Arabia on Wednesday inaugurated its pavilion as the guest of honor at the 2024 Seoul International Book Fair, which is being held from June 26-30, the Saudi Press Agency reported.
Held at the Convention and Exhibition Complex south of the Korean capital, SIBF’s 66th edition is a celebration Saudi culture, with the Kingdom’s pavilion reflecting various aspects of its cultural heritage.
The pavilion will highlight features of Saudi culture through an integrated experience led by the Ministry of Culture’s Literature, Publishing and Translation Commission, in collaboration with the Heritage Authority, the Fashion Authority, the Film Commission, the Culinary Arts Commission, King Abdulaziz House, the King Salman International Academy for the Arabic Language, the King Abdulaziz Public Library, the King Fahd National Library, the Publishing Society, and the Ministry of Investment.
Throughout the exhibition, LPT will present a diverse cultural program at the pavilion and the exhibition’s main theater, in collaboration with an elite group of writers and authors. The program includes dialogue sessions and seminars on various topics, most notably the Kingdom’s history and antiquities, Saudi women writers, and the contribution of the language in transmitting cultural values, traditions and customs, societal and identity formation, the common features between Korean and Arabic languages and cultures, and the historical and contemporary interactions between the two cultures, including trade, travel and cultural exchanges and their effect on the language.
The program includes seminars on poetry and what it represents to Arabs, the Saudi novel, and the Kingdom’s role in teaching Arabic to non-natives in Korea. One of the seminars will also discuss ways to activate cooperation between Korean and Arab singing.
The Saudi pavilion will also host the inauguration of the “Book of Poems in Korean Language,” which was the result of fruitful cooperation between the King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture and the LPT.
The King Salman International Academy for Arabic Language will launch a project for Arabic language in Korea.
There will be live performance of traditional Saudi arts such as the Ardha (a type of group folk dance), and a special display of books and artifacts discovered on Saudi land to enrich the experience of Korean visitors to the pavilion.
A Saudi dinner night presenting national dishes from various regions will also be organized.
Through participating in SIBF, Saudi Arabia aims to consolidate the bonds of partnership and cooperation with Korea, enhance dialogue between cultures and civilizations, and enrich areas of joint cooperation in literature, culture and arts.
Launched in 1954, SIBF is one of the most famous book fairs in Asia and the world. In 1995, the Korean Publishing Culture Association developed the event into an international fair. This year, there are about 90 publishing institutions and companies from 19 countries participating, alongside 350 Korean publishing houses.