2025 K-Culture Night: A Night of Gratitude and Celebration

The Korean Cultural Center (KCC) in the Philippines recently hosted its annual K-Culture Night, an event dedicated to celebrating the successful programs and milestones achieved throughout the year. The gathering served as a tribute to the KREW Members, KCC’s dedicated volunteers, as well as the KCC teachers and staff, whose support played an essential role in carrying out the center’s cultural initiatives.

In his opening remarks, KCC Director Kim Myeongjin expressed his deep gratitude to everyone who contributed to the year’s accomplishments. He highlighted two significant achievements: the Korean Cultural Center in the Philippines being named the “Most Outstanding Korean Cultural Center worldwide”and the recognition from the Philippine Department of Tourism for the TOPCOP (Tourism-Oriented Police for Community Order and Protection) Program. Director Kim emphasized that “these achievements would not have been possible without the people who work tirelessly behind the scenes and made every project and event come to life.”

The celebration also highlighted the contributions of the KREW Members, who played key roles in bringing Korean culture closer to Filipino audiences. Members shared their experiences participating in various projects-including flagship programs such as KREW Says and KREW Tries-and spoke about how these platforms allowed them to develop their creativity, storytelling skills, and personal passions while contributing to KCC’s expanding cultural presence.

Adding to the reflections of the evening, UP Arirang, the Hallyu organization from the University of the Philippines and an active partner in KCC intiatives, also shared their journey in promoting Korean culture in their campus.

The event featured interactive activities that brought back memories of KCC’s events in 2025. Participants engaged in poster puzzle games, enjoyed Korean traditional games, and took part in creative drawing challenges inspired by Korean culture.

The program also showcased special performances. The Korean traditional dance team NARA, captivated attendees with a dynamic 난타 (nanta) performance, while the KCC Cultural Interns presented a heartfelt rendition of 아름다운 나라 (Wonderful Korea), combining the expressive power of 판소리 (pansori) with the soft, melodic sounds of the 가야금 (gayageum).

This year’s K-Culture Night served not only as a celebration of the year’s accomplishments but also a reaffirmation of the meaningful collaboration between Korea and the Philippines. As the night concluded, participants shared a renewed sense of camaraderie, inspiration, and anticipation for the promising cultural engagements that await in the coming year.