A number of Saudi girls have volunteered to assist visitors at the South Korean pavilion during this year's Janadriya Festival for Culture and Heritage. This was revealed to the Saudi Gazette by Woong Chul Pak, supervisor of the pavilion and the political and cultural chancellor at the Korean Embassy in Riyadh. “We sought the help of these Saudi girls, who are students at the Korean language class run by our embassy in Riyadh, to assist the female Saudi visitors to our pavilion. We also wanted them, if needed, to help our Arabic-speaking Korean female staff we specially brought from Korea to help female visitors with respect to the Kingdom's tradition of women serving women,” he said. “Of course there were other reasons for having the volunteers at the pavilion. For example, we wanted them to practice what they are learning in real time. Also, we wanted them to learn more about Korean culture and history from the pavilion,” Woong said. “The Saudi volunteers proved very useful to us in dealing with an unexpectedly large number of female Saudi visitors, who were mostly with their families and children.” “We estimate the number to be over 100,000,” he added. During a tour of the pavilion, three Saudi female volunteers spoke to the Saudi Gazette about their volunteering experience. Ashwag Al-Buraik, 24, who is an English language teacher, said: “Janadriya is all about cultural exchange, internally and externally. So I volunteered at the pavilion of a country I wanted to know more about, besides practicing what I have learned of its language.” Her sister Wadh'ha, 20, a student, said: “Like my sister, I love to volunteer, because I love the Korean culture which is very close to ours. Moreover, I wanted to practice speaking the language with the Korean girls.” Wajd Humood Al-Shareef, a 17-year-old student, said: “I am studying the Korean language at the embassy. So I volunteered to practice it with Koreans, as I was told I could meet many of them at the pavilion.” Despite the long hours of work at the pavilion, the Saudi girls looked enthusiastic and satisfied with the experience. They helped Saudi female visitors and their children. They said they were very impressed with the politeness and decency of the Koreans and their respect for the Kingdom's religion and traditions. South Korea, the guest country of this year's Janadriya Festival, has a large pavilion that is one of the most attractive spots for visitors this year. The pavilion displays Korean culture, history and tradition using state-of-the-art interactive technology. According to the Korean Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Kim Jong-yong, the displayed contents are arranged to reflect the theme of the pavilion, “Water, the most essential element of life”. For instance, the Time Tunnel section portrays an overview of historical exchanges, particularly by sea, between Korea and Arabia. The 3D show displays water circulation and synergy. Furthermore, 32 water jars are used to represent cultural and historical icons of Korea. The Digital Silk Road section shows, through an electronic waterway, images of historical exchange between the two countries. The Future Gallery section depicts what both countries are expected to look like in 2050. Visitors seemed to enjoy the pavilion. Nujood Fahd Al-Bawardi, a 10-year-old student, said: “I came here to learn about a country other than my own. I really liked the 3D show on water which taught us that water is the essence of life. I loved the way they presented their vision of the future.” Hadeel, an 18-year-old college student, said: “The pavilion impressed me. It gave me a rare opportunity to know more about a country that I love a lot through watching movies on TV and the Internet.” Sulaiman Al-Suaeyed, a 19-year-old student, said: “This is my third visit to the pavilion because I am so attracted to it, especially the 3D show. I want to understand as much as I can about Korean geography, history and silk road routes.” __
