This year The Norwegian-Korean Friendship Association celebrates 15 years since its establishment in 2009. It also marks 65 years since the establishment of diplomatic relations between The Kingdom of Norway and The Republic of Korea. Approximately 70 members and guests gathered in Oslo on May 25th to commemorate this milestone. The evening featured a diverse program, including a piano concert, speeches, wine tasting, and a three-course dinner. H. E. Ambassador Kim, Pil-woo and his wife also attended the celebration.
Ms. Lucie Paus Falck, the president of the association, welcomed everyone with a friendly smile as they arrived. She opened the evening by giving an introduction and brief history about The Norwegian-Korean Friendship Association. To do this, she took us down memory lane and into the history archives of Norway and Korea to The Korean War in 1951. Her father, Dr. Bernhard Paus, served at The Norwegian Mobile Army Surgical Hospital (NORMASH) when it was established during the second year of the Korean War. He served two non-consecutive six-month periods. They treated 90,000 patients before NORMASH closed in October 1954. There were 623 Norwegian young women and men who served at NORMASH. Korean War representatives from Norway, Sweden and Denmark worked together and in October 1958, The National Medical Center officially opened in Seoul. In 1968 they gifted it to Korea and is still operational today.
Image credit: Erling Eikli (used with permission)
Before this time, Norway and Korea were like strangers who were not very knowledgeable about the other. Ms. Falck referred to the war as the beginning of a long-standing “love affair” between two countries. Several organizations were established so they could maintain the good relations they had formed between the two countries during the war. Among these organizations included The Norwegian Korean War Veterans Association that was active until 2021. After many years of operation, the Veterans had realized that they would not be around forever and they thought it was important that a new organization formed to carry on their friendship between the two countries.
At the time, H. E. Ambassador Choi, Byung Koo was the diplomat assigned in Norway. With his dedication, the Veterans were able to bring forth plans to establish a new association. In September of 2009 The Norwegian-Korean Friendship Association was officially launched and the first board members were elected. About 100 members attended the founding meeting that was held at Ambassador Choi’s place of residence. There were about 300 registered members and currently there are approximately 800 registered members.
The statutes of the Friendship Association states: “The Association aims to promote friendship and goodwill between the people of the Kingdom of Norway and the Republic of Korea.” (Article 3) “To achieve these objectives, the Association will endeavor to promote exchanges and cooperation between Norway and Korea in cultural, social and economic fields.” (Article 4).
Ambassador Kim opened his remarks by impressing us with a few Norwegian phrases and wished everyone a “Gratulerer med dagen” (Happy Birthday). He expressed gratitude for his three years in Norway and praised the members' efforts in promoting and showing their love for Korea. Members join The Norwegian-Korean Friendship Association for different reasons and he was happy to see that more Norwegians are eager to learn about Korea. He concluded by announcing his departure at the end of June, quoting Santosh Kalwar, “Every beginning has an end and every end is a new beginning”.
Mr. Alexander Reina provided wine recommendations to complement the three-course dinner, suggesting that sweet wines balance the spiciness of kimchi. Head chef Justin Klungsøyr and chef Sebastian Myhre presented the menu: wild halibut tataki with cucumbers, radishes, and homegrown mushrooms sprinkled with gooseberry soup for the appetizer; Korean fried chicken, galbi (fried pork), hydroponic salad with rice, and Kimchi for the main course; and sorbet for dessert. Next on the program was a piano concert by Ms. Sophia Friedensburg. She delighted us with Barcarolle in F-Sharp Major by Chopin, First Movement of Hayden Sonata in C major and a variation of Rondo alla Turca by Mozart. Author, Ms. Anne Kyong Sook Øfsti concluded the program with a discussion of her recent publications regarding her feelings around her adoption and the unrealized story between her and her biological mother.
For the past 15 years The Norwegian-Korean Friendship Association has organized numerous events and activities for its members and friends. From Korean movie nights to cooking classes and more, the Friendship Association has been a success in keeping this “love affair” going. The annual meeting will be held in the autumn.
SOURCE:
https://www.norsk-koreansk.no/412965369
How about this article?
- Like0
- Support0
- Amazing15
- Sad0
- Curious0
- Insightful1
