Minister PARK Bo Gyoon of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism (MCST) met Mexico Culture Minister Alejandra Frausto Guerrero at the National Museum of Korea on May 27 (Fri) to discuss cultural cooperation on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of diplomatic ties between the two countries.

The relationship between Korea and Mexico began when 1,033 Koreans left Jemulpo Port (Incheon) in April 1905 and moved to the Henequen farm in Mexico in May. In commemorating the first move of Koreans to Mexico, May 4 was designated as “Korean Immigrant Day” to celebrate the friendship and cooperation between the two countries every year.

Since the establishment of diplomatic ties in 1962, the two countries laid a solid foundation on close friendship and continued to develop its relations in various fields in economy, society, and culture. Mexico is Korea's ninth largest export destination, with exports to Mexico reaching $11.2 billion in 2021. Direct flights between Seoul and Mexico City opened in 2017, and more than 100,000 Koreans visited Mexico in 2018 and 2019, before the pandemic. In addition, Korean pop culture such as K-pop and Korean dramas are popular in Mexico, and hundreds of thousands of Hallyu fans have formed about 30 Hallyu clubs, which are actively serving as a platform to promote Korean culture.

The two ministers first discussed ways to cooperate on the "50th Cervantino Festival” to be held in October. The Festival is a global cultural event held in Mexico and Korea is preparing 13 diverse events as the honor of guest country with harmony of tradition, modernity. Soprano Sumi JO, K-pop, fusion Korean music, traditional fan dance performances, and various events such as exhibitions of immersive content will showcase Korean culture that encompasses both tradition and modernity.

In addition, the two ministers discussed ways to successfully promote the "Korea Season" to be held in Mexico for the first time this year. "Korea Season" is a project that Korea cooperates with a country with a large Korean cultural impact  and influence for one year to create a foundation for sustainable cultural exchange to expand opportunities for Korean artists to advance overseas. MCST this year will be closely cooperating with Mexico, which has a large cultural influence in Latin America, as the first cooperative country for the "Korea Season" on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of diplomatic ties.

After the meeting, the two ministers also visited and enjoyed the special exhibition "Azteca, People Who Moved the Sun" held at the National Museum of Korea to commemorate the 60th anniversary of diplomatic ties between the two countries.