World Affairs Council: Passport to Korean Culture

by Olivia Discon

The LEAP Ambassadors recently stamped their first country in the World Affairs Council of Greater Houston’s Global Young Professionals ‘Culinary Passport’ series, starting with Argentina. This time, we made our way ‘around the globe’ to experience Korean culture at the Consulate General of the Republic of Korea in Houston.

The Three Post Oak Central Office Building, where the Consulate General of the Republic of Korea conducts business, was a spacious and elevated venue. In fact, the building itself is LEED Gold certified!

We had the pleasure of trying various Korean street food items, such as Korean Bao, Tteokbokki, pan fried dumplings, and Korean fried chicken. This was a delicious way to immerse ourselves into the culture we would be exploring in tonight’s lecture. 

The Consul General of Korea, Young-Ho Jung, started the night off by providing some opening remarks. Consul General  Young-Ho Jung took the opportunity to highlight Korea’s remarkable success and encouraged us to consider visiting the country on our own someday. This honor was not lost on us, and truly set the scene for an immersion into learning more about Korea’s cultural impact worldwide.

Following his remarks, Jinaeng Choi, a professor at the University of Houston, took the podium to deliver a lecture titled “Mobilities in and of Korean Literature and Media: Rethinking Korean Cultural Product’s Global Rise.” Choi’s lecture provided fascinating insights into the global impact of Korean literature and media, highlighting the ways in which Korean cultural products have transcended borders and captured the attention of audiences worldwide. 

One of the most intriguing aspects of Choi’s lecture was her discussion of the intersection between Korean and Latin American literature. She broke down immigration patterns and found that many Koreans migrate to Latin America, leading to a rich exchange of cultures and literary traditions between the two regions. It was here that she provided many instances of this intersection of cultures, such as literary magazines, short stores and poetry, and novels. Professor Choi even brought a personal copy of one of these books, which was translated in both Korean and Spanish. Depending on which way the book was flipped, you could choose which language to read! 

Learning opportunities such as these emphasize the depth and complexity of cultural exchange. In the heart of one of the most diverse cities in America, this experience exposed us to new facets of the disciplines, such as literature, film, and music, that we have all enjoyed in various capacities.

The evening was a rich and immersive experience, offering us a taste of Korean culture through its food, art, and intellectual discourse. We left feeling inspired and eager to continue our exploration of the diverse cultures that enrich our global community.