Korea-Japan Festival

[Anchor Lead]

A large-scale joint Korea-Japan festival was held in Tokyo last weekend. Despite strained diplomatic relations between the two countries, Korean and Japanese people gathered together to enjoy the festival.

[Pkg]

The tune of the traditional Korean folk song "Arirang" resounds at the heart of Tokyo. The audience eagerly applauds at the harmony created by young students from the two countries. Korean cuisine and traditional games also attracted Japanese people to the event.

[Soundbite] (Japanese College Student) : "I like Korea because Koreans were very friendly when I traveled to the nation."

Traditional Korean dances was performed on stage, which was also filled with the exciting rhythms of the Korean traditional percussion music "samul nori." Japanese college students presented festive and traditional cultural performances as well. This year's Korea-Japan joint festival, the ninth installment of the event, was held under the theme of "move forward together in harmony."

[Soundbite] Lee Joon-kyu(Korean Amabsador to Japan) : "I want to say that we can go faster and farther if we cooperate and unite."

The two countries' lawmakers, political and business figures and government officials attended the event to remember its meaning.

[Soundbite] Rep. Park Young-sun(Association of Korean and Japanese Lawmakers) : "In private-level exchanges, it is important to ease differences and discover similarities through frequent occasions."

The festival, in particular, served as a good occasion to promote the 2018 Winter Olympic Games, which will be held in Pyeongchang, Korea.