Despite its drive to promote Korean culture in Nigeria, the Korean Cultural Centre Nigeria (KCCN) has revealed ongoing plans to balance its activities by infusing Nigerian content to further drive mutual understanding.
The KCCN, which made this disclosure during the 13th Korean Film Festival in Abuja, said that already, there was a collaborative plan with the Nigerian Film Festival Association (NFFA) to that effect.
The KCCN, during the three-day film festival, showcased five films of different genres that spoke to the rich cultural diversity unique to Korea, in a bid to celebrate Korea’s cinematic artistry as well as to foster intercultural understanding and appreciation between Korea and Nigeria.
The featured films were: We Are Brothers, Untouchable Lawmen, Sunset in My Hometown, Fengshui and Little Forest.
Director of the KCCN, Jeon Ju Ho, who described the 13th Korean Film Festival as a three-day celebration of Korean storytelling, culture, and creativity, hoped the films would not only leave the audience inspired and entertained but spark a curiosity to explore more of Korea.
He said the showcased movies were aimed at “offering a unique window into the heart of Korean society — its values, its humour, its struggles, and its dreams. These stories transcend language and borders, connecting us through shared human experiences.
“This festival is not just about watching movies. It is about building bridges — between Nigeria and Korea, between cultures and communities, through the powerful medium of film.”
Event Manager at the KCCN, Yujin Lee, who noted that Korean films were beginning to gain more popularity amongst Nigerians, like Netflix and other film platforms, noted that the KCCN decided to expose Nigerians to the different genres of Korean films, to further show the different sides to Korea.
“Like capturing the traditional royal background, some historical backgrounds, we had romantic comedies focused on landscapes and the old countryside vibes. In the last movie for this year’s film festival, we were able to experience the Korean countryside view and Korean food.”
Lee further explained that, “For this film festival, we were really trying to bring in a new Nigerian audience, so we collaborated with NFFA. We’ve had an interview showcasing the Nigerian movie at our KCCN studio, and we did some sort of discussion with the director of the movie.
“We are trying to bring some balance to build mutual understanding. Of course, we need to focus on the Korean culture because we are the Korean Cultural Centre; however, we really want to have more collaborations with the Nigerian film association and Nigerian film makers so that we can understand the differences and what we can learn from each other.”
The highlight of this year’s Korean film festival was a raffle draw and presentation of various gifts to winners at the end of each film showcase.
