SEOUL, Nov. 9 (Yonhap) -- A festival promoting Korean culture through the joint efforts of local Korean Wave communities and ethnic Korean groups was recently held in Kazakhstan's capital of Astana, drawing enthusiastic participation.

The Korean Cultural Center in Kazakhstan, headed by Director Lee Jeom-ho, said Monday that it hosted the "2026 Kazakhstan K-Community Festival" on Nov. 7 (local time) at the Azerbaijan Mambetov State Academic Theater of Drama and Comedy in Astana.

Now in its second year, following its launch last year, the event was organized as a participatory cultural festival in which local Korean Wave clubs, known as K-communities, proposed ideas and took the lead in planning and running programs.

This year's festival was particularly meaningful as it brought together not only local residents and Korean Wave fans but also members of the ethnic Korean community, broadening opportunities for cultural exchange.

"Miseong," a traditional dance troupe affiliated with the Astana Korean Association, took to the stage to perform fan and sword dances, showcasing the classical beauty of traditional Korean dance.

Seven K-pop cover dance communities active in Astana presented 10 performances, adding to the excitement of the event. Some 850 audience members responded with enthusiastic cheers.

In the venue's lobby, K-communities from five major universities in Astana organized various hands-on activities.

The "Horangi" community at L.N. Gumilyov Eurasian National University held quiz challenges on Korean tourist attractions, language and K-pop, while "KCA" of Astana IT University organized jegichagi, a traditional Korean shuttlecock-kicking game. "Hangyu" of Maqsut Narikbayev University offered games including ddakji, a traditional paper-tile flipping game, and "Cham Cham Cham," a Korean reflex game.

Meanwhile, "Hangeul" of Coventry University Kazakhstan held master classes on traditional Korean knot crafts, norigae ornaments and mother-of-pearl hand mirrors, while "NU Korean Club" of Nazarbayev University prepared a lucky roulette game.

"The festival provided an opportunity for local K-communities to take the initiative in introducing Korean culture and expand exchanges and cooperation among communities," Lee said. "We will continue working with local communities to raise interest in Korean culture and promote cultural exchanges."

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