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| ▲ Participants dance at a K-pop festival in the Italian city of Sesto San Giovanni on Oct. 23, 2021 (local time), in this photo provided by the South Korean consulate general in Milan. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap) |
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| ▲ Visitors read about major Korean cities while enjoying the photos displayed at the Korean weekly event in the Italian city of Sesto San Giovanni on Oct. 23, 2021 (local time), in this photo provided by the South Korean consulate general in Milan. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap) |
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| ▲ Participants perform at a K-pop festival in the Italian city of Sesto San Giovanni on Oct. 23, 2021 (local time), in this photo provided by the South Korean consulate general in Milan on Oct. 24, 2021. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap) |
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| ▲ People wait in line for their turn to taste Korean food in the Italian city of Sesto San Giovanni on Oct. 23, 2021 (local time), in this photo provided by the South Korean consulate general in Milan on Oct. 24, 2021. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap) |
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| ▲ Three pieces of Korean sugar candy or "Dalgona," which gained recognition after featuring in Netflix's smash-hit Korean series "Squid Game," are placed for people to see on Oct. 23, 2021 (local time), in this photo provided by the South Korean consulate general in Milan on Oct. 24, 2021. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap) |
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| ▲ This photo, provided by the South Korean consulate general in Milan on Oct. 24, 2021, shows an amateur dance group called "M2B," which finished second in the dance category at this year's K-pop Festival in Italy and has been participating in K-pop events every year since it started in 2014. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap) |
MILAN, Oct. 25 (Yonhap) -- Since the COVID-19 outbreak, the first Korean cultural event was held offline in Sesto San Giovanni, a commune in Milan, a global capital of fashion and finance, between Oct. 22-24 (local time).
The popularity of the event felt on site was overpowering enough to prove that people's interest in Korean culture were not lessen despite the pandemic.
As many middle-aged visitors were spotted within the venue, it seems as if the fan base for Korean culture had widened.
While the number of participants was limited to 350 for the "K-Pop Festival," a main event organized by the South Korean consulate general in Milan, the reservations filled up in just two days.
Korean foods also gained recognition by capturing the taste buds of Italians. For this event, "gimbap" or seaweed rice rolls with vegetables, sweet and sour chicken, and bulgogi were prepared, however it was sold out in less than an hour.
For this year's event, a unique snack was added to the list of Korean food menus. The added snack turned out to be "Dalgona" or Korean sugar candy, which gained popularity after featuring in one of the childhood games played in Netflix's hit Korean series "Squid Game."
A local Korean restaurant in Milan prepared 200 boxes of three sets of Dalgona, but the snacks ran out of stocks as soon as the snacks were placed on the table.
Many locals also showed interest in Hanbok, calligraphy, and traditional games.
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