Korean Culture Night crowds Centre Stage
Reading Time: 2 minutesThe UVU Korean Club shared their culture, food and friendship with the student body for the second year.
Students filled Centre Stage on Monday, Feb. 27, making a crowd of over 400 people for the second annual Korean Culture Night hosted by the UVU Korean Culture club. The event was a combined activity with groups from Brigham Young University, University of Utah and Utah State.
Two of UVU’s international students, Chris Chacon and Arialla Wright, acted as hosts for the evening. Performances, ranging from Korean martial arts and Taekwondo to fan dancing and folk drums, brought sights and sounds of Korea that permeated the campus and filled the audience with an almost palpable excitement.
Vice President of the Korean Club Younjung Lee talked about the goals for the event, explaining hopes that the event would allow American students to experience Korean food and culture as well as open channels of communication between them and the international students at UVU.
“We only have 200 Korean UVU students and we want them to feel comfortable and this event brings the students from UVU and other schools together,” Lee said.
Much of the food shared with guests was served during intermission, including Korea’s most popular foods. Beef and pork bulgogi, rice buchimgae, soy sauce potato jorim and the spicy Korean favorite kimchi were some of the tastes that attendees experienced.
Several students commented on the food being the highlight of the evening, with Korean international student Ahram Kim talking specifically about the kimchi.
“It is my favorite dish,” Kim said.
A lot of students have been looking to this event since last year’s celebration, according to Lee.
“The Korean club wants to continue this tradition for years to come in an effort to bring the Korean students together,” Lee said.
For those interested in learning to read and speak Korean, a new class will be starting fall 2012, but only if 12 or more students enroll.
By Cori Fox
Staff Writer