Paris Cultural Olympiad to highlight K-culture in the run-up to the Olympic Games

Culture Minister Yu In-chon meets with Dominique Hervieu, the director of the 2024 Paris Cultural Olympiad, at the Korean Cultural Center in Paris on May 2.  (MINISTRY OF CULTURE, SPORTS AND TOURISM)

Culture Minister Yu In-chon meets with Dominique Hervieu, the director of the 2024 Paris Cultural Olympiad, at the Korean Cultural Center in Paris on May 2. (MINISTRY OF CULTURE, SPORTS AND TOURISM)

PARIS, France – Construction continues throughout the city of Paris as the clock ticks towards the start of the 2024 Olympic Games. Amid the hustle and bustle, the Paris Cultural Olympiad has been taking place in various regions of France since the summer of 2022. The cultural event is designed to highlight the link between art and sport and the shared values ​​between the two.

Some 2,300 programs will be presented until the Paralympic Games end on September 8, and Korea has decided to participate in this celebration, hoping to promote Korean culture in France – a country where “K-content is highly loved and is consumed. said Culture Minister Yu In-chon.

Yu met Dominique Hervieu, the director of the Paris 2024 Cultural Olympiad, on May 2, the opening day of “2024 Korea Season” – an event consisting of 34 cultural programs showcasing Korea across France over the next six months as part of the Paris Cultural Olympiad – at the Korean Cultural Center in Paris.

According to the International Olympic Committee (IOC), the Cultural Olympiad is a multidisciplinary artistic and cultural program of the Olympic and Paralympic Games, and an official outcome of the IOC. The host city of the Games will host the Cultural Olympiad in its own city from the end of the previous Paralympic Games until the end of the next Paralympic Games. Although the Paralympic Games in Tokyo came to an end on September 5, 2021, Paris could not start its cultural events until the summer of 2022 due to the pandemic. Despite having started since then, the Paris Cultural Olympiad will launch most of its events from May 20 to July 20, Hervieu said.

“I am certainly excited about the Games, but I am very much looking forward to witnessing and participating in bringing artistic creations to the sport, knowing that this culture is at the heart of the Games,” said Yu during the meeting.

Hervieu said the aim of the Paris Cultural Olympiad is to “showcase the creativity and rich cultural resources of France and create a cultural platform where the values ​​of the Games, sport and art come together.”

Some of the programs highlighted by Hervieu include the exhibition “Olympism: Modern Invention, Ancient Legacy” currently on view at the Louvre, where visitors can discover “how and in what political context the first modern Olympic Games from the late 19th century to came into being. the iconographic sources on which they were based, and how the organizers sought to recreate the sporting competitions of ancient Greece.”

On selected mornings from 8 a.m. until May 31, a physical preparation session will also be held at the Louvre, combining a tour, dance and sports training. The sessions involve light movements to stimulate your body and start your day with a light sweat.

Hervieu also referred to a dance program in which ballet dancers from the Paris Opera Ballet and hip-hop dancers presented joint performances over two days. The shows were offered for free, as is the case for 82 percent of the programs at the Cultural Olympiad in Paris. Tickets for this event sold out within three hours.

Hervieu, choreographer and dancer, directed both the Maison de la danse and the Biennale de la danse in Lyon. She said she is especially excited that breakdancing is making its debut at the Paris Games. She also met Korean reporters a few hours after Yu for a press conference, adding that there will be an exciting program on July 20. The Center Culturel Coréen en France, also known as the Korean Cultural Center in Paris, will participate in the program.

“I know that Korea is not only known for its traditional dances with beautiful costumes, but also for its good achievements in break dancing,” she said.

One of the upcoming events on July 20 is something to look forward to, Hervieu said. Several cultural centers from different countries are involved, including the Korean Cultural Center. Visitors will tour the centers and learn about the different games played in each country. A special exhibition on traditional Korean games will be held at the Korea Cultural Center. To add to the fun, a karaoke machine will be installed, the center said.

“K-pop is very popular in Paris and has become a strong culture among young Parisians today,” said Hervieu, adding that she is happy that Korea can participate in showcasing its diverse culture, while interest in Korean music, webtoons and drama series is increasing. , eating and dancing are at an all-time high.

“Visitors from all over the world will certainly be able to fully enjoy the programs for the Paris Cultural Olympiad, especially during the Games, as many of the venues for the Games are not located on the outskirts of the city, as many of the other host cities, but in the heart of Paris,” said Hervieu. “It will be easy for them to just drop by a show that interests them after watching a game.”

Hervieu explained to Yu that this is why her team is currently creating a website and a mobile application with an interactive map that allows you to discover nearby events.

“We hope that around 16 million visitors to the Games will use the card and fully enjoy the programs we have prepared,” she said.

BY YIM SEUNG-HYE ([email protected])