Chuseok Reception at the Korean Ambassador's Residence, 24 September 2021 - British Korean Society

Chuseok Reception at the Korean Ambassador’s Residence, 24 September 2021

Written by: Douglas Barrett | Posted on: September 26th, 2021

Chuseok – Korean Thanksgiving – is a wonderful time to be in Korea. The summer rains recede, and the skies are a vibrant blue. The leaves turn golden brown. The whole country takes to the roads, and railway stations are full as families reunite to give thanks for an abundant harvest. Chuseok falls on the eve of the harvest full moon, the largest and most visible moon of the year. It’s a thrilling sight and a magical time to be in Korea.

In the true spirit of Chuseok Ambassador Gunn Kim invited members of the British Korean Society to his beautiful residence in Kensington for a Chuseok reception. In his opening remarks Ambassador Kim noted that The British Korean Society played a vital role in deepening relations between our two countries. He was extremely pleased to be in London and looked forward to meeting everyone.

Martin Uden, Executive Chairman of the BKS and former Ambassador to Seoul thanked Ambassador Kim for his hospitality. He read remarks from Co-Chair Sir Stephen Brown who congratulated Ambassador Kim on his appointment. Sir Stephen was sad he could not attend – he looked forward to working with Ambassador Kim to further UK-Korea relations. Martin also reminded guests about our upcoming House of Lords Reception on 4 November. He also noted that he is working with the National Army Museum to host an event to commemorate the veterans who served in the Korean War.

We also heard from Dr Lee Jungwoo the Director of the Korean Cultural Centre who told us about the K music festival from 6 October to 17 November. He also noted that he was hoping to host more private viewings of new exhibitions for BKS members.

We ended the evening with lovely Korean delicacies including Kimchi, Bulgogi, Japjae and rice cakes.

After 18 months of zoom calls and being confined to our homes it was great to meet people in person. Our thanks go to Ambassador Kim and his superb staff for a lovely evening.

Chuseok falls on 10 September in 2022.