The Korean Cultural Centre Nigeria has intensified efforts to strengthen cultural relations between Nigeria and South Korea through the Abuja edition of the K-Heritage Festival, a platform designed to promote traditional Korean arts, music and dance among Nigerians.

Organisers said the initiative was part of broader cultural diplomacy efforts aimed at exposing Nigerians to Korea’s traditional heritage beyond the global appeal of K-Pop.

The event, held in Abuja over the weekend featured traditional Korean performances, cultural workshops and stage presentations by Nigerian participants who had undergone short training sessions ahead of the festival.

Speaking during the programme, Event Manager at the Korean Cultural Centre Nigeria, Yoonjin Lee, said the festival was created to introduce Nigerians to a different side of Korean culture.

According to her, while K-Pop has gained widespread popularity among young people across the world, the centre considered it important to also showcase Korea’s traditional artistic heritage.

“K-Pop is more like the modern type, more attracted by young people. But the K-Heritage Festival is trying to also bring Korean traditional performances to Nigeria,” she said.

Lee explained that the festival was first launched in Lagos in 2025 before expanding to Abuja this year as part of efforts to widen cultural participation and engagement across the country.

She noted that this year’s edition featured performances by Sorichum, a Korean performance duo made up of Melissa Minseong Seo and Hyunjung Park.

The duo entertained guests with displays centred on Korean traditional music and dance.

In addition to the stage performances, the organisers also held two-day workshops where participants were taught Korean fan dance and the use of the traditional Korean drum known as Janggu.

According to Lee, the workshops ended with live performances by participants during the festival, a development she described as impressive given the short preparation period.

“The students only learned for two days, but they performed perfectly. People are really enjoying it,” she said.

She said the enthusiasm shown by participants and audience members demonstrated that Nigerians were increasingly becoming interested in Korean traditional culture and not just contemporary entertainment.

Lee stressed that the introduction of the K-Heritage Festival was not solely influenced by the popularity of K-Pop, but formed part of the centre’s broader mission to present the diversity of Korean culture.

“We really want to show different stages of Korean culture. K-Pop is very big, but as a Korean Cultural Centre, we also want to bring traditions and opportunities for people to experience them,” she added.

The event also featured performances by students of the cultural centre as well as winners from previous K-Pop festivals organised in Nigeria.

According to Lee, the K-Heritage Festival currently focuses largely on performance arts such as music and fan dance, although Korean heritage extends into other cultural expressions including crafts and traditional art forms.

She disclosed that the centre was already considering expanding traditional Korean cultural activities in Nigeria through additional workshops and festivals, particularly in Lagos.

Lee revealed that another Janggu drum festival was being planned in Lagos while efforts were ongoing to strengthen traditional cultural classes before introducing K-Heritage competitions in future editions.

She, however, noted that competitive events presently remain largely focused on K-Pop activities.

The event manager also announced plans for another K-Pop Festival later this year in Lagos, explaining that major cultural programmes were now being rotated between Lagos and Abuja to ensure wider participation across Nigeria.

The K-Heritage Festival is one of several initiatives being promoted by the Korean Cultural Centre to strengthen people-to-people connections between Nigeria and South Korea through cultural exchange, music, dance and education.