'축제 15년 새로운 내일로'.. 한일축제마당 9월1일 코엑스서 개최<br /><br />Despite South Korea and Japan's deteriorating ties,... the largest cultural exchange event between the two countries kicked off in Seoul this Sunday,... attended by high-level diplomats from both sides.<br />Our Kim Jae-hee has the highlights from the festival.<br />Seoul and Tokyo should settle their ongoing trade and diplomatic dispute through dialogue and cooperation.<br />That was the message delivered by Korea's vice foreign minister Lee Tae-ho,... who spoke at a cultural exchange festival between South Korea and Japan on Sunday.<br />During his commemoration speech,... he stressed the need to mend bilateral ties through dialogue and diplomacy.<br />"I hope the two countries can overcome their current challenges and resolve pending issues through dialogue and cooperation in a mature manner. <br />Also, bilateral issues should be resolved by facing up squarely to history, and cooperative efforts should be maintained aside from this matter."<br />The 'Korea-Japan Hanmadang Festival in Seoul',... the biggest and longest-running cultural exchange program between the two countries,... aims to build a friendly, cooperative relationships among their people.<br />Tokyo's Parliamentary Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs, ( ) Norikazu Suzuki was also among the guest list.<br />"Thousands of participants have gathered to take part in this year's event,... marking its 15th anniversary under the theme '15 years of festivals, and a new tomorrow'."<br />The main highlight of the festival was a series of Korean and Japanese performances of their respective countries' traditional dance and martial arts practitioners.<br />"I was a little nervous since many people came out to see my performance. There are many Japanese people who like Korean culture, so I hope relations between the two countries can improve through these types of festivals." <br />Samulnori, a traditional Korean percussion ensemble,... was also performed at the event,... capturing the attention of many people from abroad. <br />Various other activities were also on hand at the festival,... such as a chance to try on Korea's traditional clothing hanbok and Japan's kimono,... as well as various games and food-tasting booths.<br />"Korea has a lot of delicious soups. Japan on the other hand, doesn’t have that many stew-type dishes, so I enjoy eating spicy Korean soups."<br />The event was held despite the deteriorating relations between Korea and Japan,... triggered by Tokyo's adoption of new export curbs on Korea in early-July. <br />The same festival is scheduled to be held in Tokyo Hibiya Park on September 28th and 29th.<br />Kim Jae-hee, Arirang News. <br />
