Korea House, Korea's Olympic pavilion, has opened its doors as the largest ever.

The Korea House, which will represent Korea at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, officially opened on Friday (local time) at the Maison de la Simie, an international conference center in downtown Paris, France.

The opening ceremony was attended by 190 guests, including Vice Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Jang Jang-ran, Korea Sports Federation President Lee Ki-heung, Ambassador Choi Jae-chul, International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Kim Jae-yeol and Yoo Seung-min, Korea Athletes' Team President Jeong Kang-sun, Korea House Director Lee Hyuk-ryul, and IOC Athletes' Commissioner Park In-bee.

South Korea has operated Korea House since the 2004 Athens Olympics. It was closed for the 2021 Tokyo Olympics due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but reopened in Paris six years after the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Games.

This was the largest Korea House yet.

The Korea House has been open to the public mainly through press conferences of Korean medalists. It has been used to support Korean athletes and as a base for sports diplomacy, but this time, it has been transformed into a complex cultural space with the joint participation of 15 private and public 토토사이트 organizations to showcase the diverse charms of Korean culture to the world.

“The idea is to promote the brand of the Korea Sports Federation, Team Korea, and the brand of Korean culture, K-Culture, together in the long term,” said Lee Hyuk-ryul, director of Korea House.

The Maison de la Simie has multiple spaces, including a large theater and a small theater, and is easily accessible in the center of the city. The Korean Olympic Committee and the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism rented the entire three-story building.

The slogan of the Korea House at the Paris Olympics is “Play the K,” which means to enjoy and experience the diversity of Korean culture. The Korea House is a space where visitors can experience the music, food, fashion, art, and tourism experiences that are firmly rooted in K culture around the world.

There will also be group cheers to wish the Korean athletes well during the Paris Olympics, performances by the National Ballet, a hanbok fashion show, dance performances by Korean and French youth, and a K-book concert.

K content will be provided by Korea House title sponsor CJ, as well as Bibigo, Cass, Photoism, Paris Baguette, Hive, Korea Tourism Organization, Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, Korea Creative Content Agency, Korea Ceramics Foundation, and Korea Council for International Exchange and Culture.

“We prepared the Korea House two years ago to showcase our culture in Paris, the center of art and culture,” said Lee Ki-heung, chairman of the Korea Sports Federation. ”Our athletes settled in well at the pre-Fontainebleau camp. The players are happy with the Korean food provided by 15 cooks from Korea,” he said, adding that the team is in good spirits as they prepare for the final match.

The Korea House is free and open to the public with advance reservations. It will be open until August 11, the closing day of the Paris Olympics.