Special Anniversary – Red-White-Red Culture is Now Celebrated in South Korea

Diplomatic relations between the two countries were only upgraded to a strategic partnership last year. Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg wants to reinforce this with his visit. The program included meetings with Prime Minister Han Duck-soo and Foreign Minister Park Jin, focusing on current threats from North Korea.

Schallenberg also plans to visit the 38th Parallel Demilitarized Zone, the buffer zone on the Korean peninsula that has divided North and South Korea since the Korean War in the 1950s.

Schallenberg opens exhibition
A major focus of the trip is cultural events: On Tuesday, Schallenberg will open an exhibition at the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Seoul, which will showcase masterpieces from Vienna at the National Museum. The highlight from an Upper Austrian perspective follows on Wednesday: the Bruckner Orchestra under chief conductor Markus Poschner plays a concert in the Seoul Arts Center. There is also a performance on Thursday.

Secret Superpower
Beforehand, Poschner and the orchestra’s artistic director, Norbert Trawöger, attended the reception at the Austrian embassy. “Our secret superpower is culture. With this week’s events, we aim to usher in a new phase of cooperation with South Korea. We want more,” said Schallenberg, who, together with Ambassador Wolfgang Angerholzer, received a vinyl edition of the Bruckner Orchestra as a gift from Poschner and Trawöger after his speech.