Bratislava, Slovakia—Utilizing the general interest in Korea during the Olympic Winter Games, UPF-Slovakia organized an event titled “Korea’s Traditions from a Historical Perspective.”
The discussion, which was held on February 6, 2018, illuminated the political and religious history, traditions and ethical values in Korean society.
Thanks to an announcement by the well-known political club NSK, many academics came to listen. The date was chosen well—just three days prior to the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games in Pyeongchang. No wonder that the rented hall in an office building was too small for the 52 guests, and so some persons did not get a chair.
To warm up the audience, a video was shown in which the Little Angels Children’s Folk Ballet of Korea performed the traditional Drum Dance and sang the folk song Arirang.
In his welcoming remarks, UPF-Slovakia Secretary General Milos Klas said that UPF already has held several presentations about Korea because it is the homeland of the UPF founders, Rev. Dr. Sun Myung Moon and Dr. Hak Ja Han Moon.
The main speaker was Dr. Milos Prochazka, who has mastered the Korean language and teaches Korean history at Comenius University in Bratislava. One focus of his presentation was the role of Korea’s diverse religions in shaping the national culture as well as their influence on today’s society. He also described insights he gained and experiences he had during his stays in South Korea.
Several guests were especially interested in Dr. Prochazka’s views about the current situation in North Korea. The concluding question-and-answer session created a lively atmosphere.
After the program, our guests could buy topical books, or little jars with the Korean culinary specialties kimchi and gochujang, which had been prepared by our staff. Most of the guests expressed interest in attending upcoming UPF events.