A series of Korean cultural events has also been launched in France to compliment President Park Geun-hye's visit this week.<br />From exhibitions and performances... to what's being billed as the world's largest K-pop concert,... Lee Ji-won provides a glimpse of this promotional extravaganza. <br />K-pop stars including SHINee, Block B and more were in France on Thursday night to kick off the weeklong KCON festival.<br />The concert hall in Paris was jammed with K-pop fans from around Europe,... who were singing along and screaming themselves hoarse.<br />Billed as the world's largest K-pop concert, it was organized to celebrate the 130th anniversary of diplomatic ties between Korea and France.<br />And in a sign of the significance of the occasion, the stage was momentarily given over to a special VIP guest -- President Park Geun-hye.<br />The Korean leader is in France on a state visit, and she used the event... to highlight the importance of cultural events and exchanges between the two countries.<br />In her remarks, she said that it was K-pop events like these that are helping to make Korean culture known to people around the world.<br />At the event, part concert, part expo, she and pop group SHINee even took a moment to sample some Korean treats.<br /><br /><br />"I think, with global stars SHINee introducing Korean desserts like bungeoppang ,... their popularity is sure to be explosive."<br />...<br /><br />KCON is just one of the cultural events organized to coincide with President Park's four-day stay in France.<br />The convention is a seven-day music and cultural event being held in nine major cities including Paris, Nantes and Nice to highlight both traditional and contemporary aspects of Korean culture. <br /><br />Other cultural events during the president's visit include events giving French people a taste of Korean dramas and movies, fashion and food... and festivals featuring classical and contemporary Korean music such as pansori musical storytelling and samulnori percussion performances. <br />Lee Ji-won, Arirang News. <br /><br />
