Korean Cultural Centre UK hosts ’Cambridge Korea Day’ Feat. Seminar and Hanbok Formal Dinner

Korean Cultural Centre UK (Director: Seunghye Sun), in collaboration with the Cambridge University Korean Society (CUKS), presented ‘Cambridge Korea Day: Seminar & Hanbok Formal Dinner’ at the University of Cambridge on Saturday, 11 October 2025.

The event opened with welcoming remarks from Director Seunghye Sun, under the theme “Freely! K-Culture and K-Soft Power.” The celebration combined academic and cultural exchange, bringing together Korean professors, researchers, and students from leading UK universities for a day of dialogue, tradition, and creativity.

Director Seunghye Sun said “Cambridge Korea Day is more than a cultural event—it is a meaningful dialogue between Korea’s creativity and Cambridge’s academic tradition. Through this year’s theme, ‘Freely! K-Culture and K-Soft Power,’ we celebrate the vibrancy and openness of Korean culture, sharing the emotion and creative energy of Korea with the world through K-pop, literature, hanbok, and cuisine.”

Seminar Highlights

The Cambridge Korea Day seminar featured distinguished speakers from Cambridge and Oxford universities:

• Professor Nuri Kim, Department of Korean Studies, University of Cambridge – “Koreans and Their Foreign Ancestors”
• Professor Minji Bang, Department of Economics, University of Cambridge – “Inequalities in the Labour Market”
• Jiyeon Wood, Librarian, University of Cambridge Library – “Building the Korean Collection at the Cambridge University Library: Treasures, Traditions, and Today”

Guest speaker Professor Ji-sun Kim from the University of Oxford’s Department of Chemistry delivered a special lecture titled “Molecules for a Sustainable Future!”

The seminar concluded with closing remarks by Professor Jongmin Kim of the University of Cambridge’s Department of Electrical Engineering.

Hanbok Formal Dinner

Following the seminar, participants attended the Hanbok Formal Dinner—a first-of-its-kind event at Cambridge.

Inspired by the traditional British “Formal Hall,” the evening reimagined the experience through a Korean lens, with all attendees dressed in hanbok, enjoying Korean-inspired cuisine at the Newnham College Dining Hall.

Interactive booths allowed guests to experience traditional Korean games such as tuho (arrow throwing), yutnori (board game), and jegichagi (hacky-sack kicking).

With registration closing early due to overwhelming interest, the event attracted a capacity 70 participants, including students and researchers from Cambridge, Oxford, and University College London (UCL).

“The Hanbok Formal Dinner was a creative fusion of British academic tradition and Korean aesthetics, symbolising the growing cultural exchange between the UK and Korea,” said Director Sun.

Celebrating Korea in the UK

Korean Cultural Centre UK will continue to host Korea Day festivals across major UK cities, tailoring each event to the local academic and cultural landscape. These festivals promote diverse aspects of Korean culture—from arts and cuisine to K-pop and the creative industries—while encouraging dialogue on Korea’s future in global culture.