Attended by ambassadors of Romania and other countries

By Publisher Lee Kyung-sik with Editors Cho Kyung-hee, Sung Jong-wook

Ambassador Mihai Ciompec of Romania (left) presents a Plaque of Citation to Mayor Gu Bon-young of the Cheonan City.

An impressive opening ceremony of the 2019 Cheonan Heungtaryeong Dance Festival was kicked off at the Cheonan Samgeogi Park and the Cheonan Arts Center in the Cheonan City some 100 kilometers south of Seoul on the evening of September 25 this year in a five-day run. Several thousand people, including representatives from many different countries of the world.

From left: Vice Chairman Song Na-ra of The Korea Post, Mrs. Maria Jose Zapata Aliaga (spouse of the Charge d’Affaires of Bolivia), Charge d’Affaires Luis Pablo Ossio Bustillos of Bolivia, Peace Ambassador Ferdiand Renz of Austria, Minister Joseph Ngaira Busiega of Kenya, Vice Chairman Choe Nam-suk of The Korea Post, Vice Chairperson Cho Kyung-hee of The Korea Post, Chairman Lee Kyung-sik of The Korea Post, Manager Lee Bong-geun of the Independence Hall of Korea, Ambassador Mihai Ciompec of Romania, Mrs. Flavia Athena Kloos (spouse of the Ambassador of Romania), Mrs. Nataliia Tymoshenko (spouse of the ambassador of Ukraine), Minister lgor Prelovs of Croatia, Mrs. Diana Vizcaino (Chief of International Cooperation of Ecuador), Ms. Veronica Yandun (International Cooperation Assistant of Ecuador), Mrs. Amal Nosseir (spouse of the ambassador of Egypt), Mrs. Fayzieva Matlyuba (spouse of the consul of Uzbekistan), Mrs. Mukhamedjanova Ruzikhon (spouse of the administrative officer of Uzbekistan), Ambassador Hazem M. Fahmy of Egypt, Ambassador Kathos Jibao Mattai of Sierra Leone.

The opening ceremony was also attended by over 20 members of the Seoul Diplomatic Corps (SDC), including ambassadors and madams in a special diplomat tour organized by The Korea Post media. (See list of participating ambassadors and other diplomats at the end of this report.)

Mayor Gu Bon-young of the Cheonan City (behind rostrum) speaks at the opening ceremony.

The dance festival was also participated in by other noted international celebrities from many different countries of the world who included the leaders of dancing and other performing art troupes from a total of 15 different countries of the world.

Ambassadors and madams of the Seoul Diplomatic Corp are seen in the VVIP front row seats at the opening ceremony of the 2019 Cheonan Heungtaryeong Performing Art Festival.

Held on the theme of “To Cheonan for Fun and Dance,” the 2019 Cheonan Dance Festival also included dance performances presented on the street in various places of the Cheonan City after those at the opening ceremony.

The visiting members of the SCE watch the replica of the Nine-story Wooden Pagoda of the Hwangnyongsa BuddhistTemple.

At the opening ceremony, Mayor Koo Bon-young of the Cheonan City was presented with a Plaque of Citation by Ambassador Mihai Ciompec of Romania who honored the mayor on behalf of the visiting members of the SDC. In return, Mayor Koo presented each one of the visiting members of the SDC with a gift

Vice Chairman Choe Nam-suk of The Korea Post media (second from left) introduces an exhibit at an exhibition center of Samsung Business Group to the ambassadors and other members of the SDC.

Among the highlight performances at the opening ceremony, which lasted about two and half hours, were popular Korean singers and dancers who included Weki Weki, Kunakun, Mongni, Gumjandi, Park Seo-jin, Bae Il-ho, and Hyun Joon.

Charge d’Affaires Luis Pablo Ossio Bustillos of Bolivia (sixth from left) and Mrs. Maria Jose Zapata Aliaga (spouse of CDA Ossio Bstillos), far right, pose with the members of the Bolivian performing art troupe at the 2019 Cheonan Heungtaryeong Dance Festival on Sept. 25, 2019.

The highlight performance of the five-day Cheonan Dance Festival was a Street Dance Parade slated on Sept. 27 presented at a road section some 550 meters long in the city participated in by a total of over 1,900 performers forming 34 different teams from various countries of the world.

Korean women clad in black show the National Flag of Korea during their performance in September 2019.

Reputed to be Korea’s largest dance event, the Cheonan Heungtaryeong Dance Festival, which marks its 17th anniversary this year, was selected as a representative performing arts festival by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism for the sixth consecutive year, and is expected to win the same honor this year.

A woman clad in traditional black Korean chima (skirts) and white jogori (jacket) wave the Korean national flag in front of other performing artists at the opening ceremony of the 2019 Heungtaryeong Festival.

The dance troupes from overseas this year included Kosovo National Ensemble of songs and dance 'Shota,’ Romanian Folk Dance Group Dorul, Turkish Golden Bridge Folk Dances Ensemble Sport Club, Polish Promni Folk Dance Ensemble, the Republic of Sakha National Ensemble of Dance 'Druzhba,' African Tumbas of Kenya Dancers, Ballet Folklorico Nacional de Bolivia, Integracion Andina of Ecuador, Tradicion Guarani of Paraguay, Ara Macao Dance Company, Grupo de Danza Folkorica Ollin Yoliztli of Mexico, XB Dance studio Jakarta of Indonesia, Sabo Dance Troupe of Uzbekistan, Sultan Idris Educational University of Malyasia, Khong Thong Witthaya School of Thailand, two dancing troupes from China, several performing troupes from Korea and Palau Polynesian Dance Group from Oceania.

An attractive Mexican traditional dance performance presented in Cheonan in Korea in 2019.

The participating members of the Seoul Diplomatic Corps included Ambassadors Mihai Ciompec of Romania, Hazem M. Fahmy of Egypt, Wylbur Chisiya Simuusa of the Zambia, and Kathos Jibao Mattai of Sierra Leone, most of them accompanies by their spouses. There also were Charge d’Affaires Luis Pablo Ossio Bustillos of Bolivia, Mrs. Chafika Derragui (spouse of the Ambassador of Algeria), Minister Igor Prelovs of Croatia, Minister Joseph Ngaira Busiega of Kenya, and officers from the embassies of Uzbekistan, Ecuador, Mexico and Austria.

Ambassador and Mrs. Mihai Ciompec of Romania (left, second row, and second from left, front row), pose with the representative of the Cheonan Wallnut Cake Company (left, front row) with other visiting members of the Seoul Diplomatic Corps. Publisher-Chairman Lee Kyung-sik of The Korea Post (third from left, front row) displays the walnut cakes.

Photo shows President Kim Hyung-dae of The Korea Post media (left) posing with Director Lim Byeong-hak of press planning team and PR officer Han Gwon-seok who are the leading members of the Organizing Committee of the 2019 Cheonan Heungtaryeong Dance Festival.
Ambassador Mihai Ciompec of Romania (fifth from right, front row) poses with the members of the performing art troupe of Romania.
A Colombian music band walking on the street of Cheonan clad in beautiful traditional costumes and playing Colombian musical instruments.
Romania was prominently represented in the 2019 Cheonanm Folk Dance Festival.
Performing artist of nearly 20 different countries of the world present their performances at the opening ceremony of the 2019 Cheonan Heungtaryeong Dance Festival on Sept. 25, 2019.

Symbol towers at the Independence Hall of Korea in Cheonan.

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