Koreans in Venezuela (also known as Korean Venezuelans) form one of the smallest Korean communities in

Latin America Latin America or * french: Amérique Latine, link=no * ht, Amerik Latin, link=no * pt, América Latina, link=no, name=a, sometimes referred to as LatAm is a large cultural region in the Americas where Romance languages — languages derived f ...

, according to the statistics of

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...

Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade may refer to: * Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade (Jamaica) * Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (New Zealand) * Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (South Korea) South Korea's Ministry of ...

History

The South Korean community in Venezuela began when Chiong Hoe-Nyun, who studied the Spanish language at the

Hankuk University of Foreign Studies Hankuk University of Foreign Studies (abbreviated as HUFS; Korean: 한국외국어대학교) is a private research university based in Seoul, in South Korea. HUFS consistently ranks as one of the best universities in South Korea. The university ...

(HUFS) in

Seoul Seoul (; ; ), officially known as the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea.Before 1972, Seoul was the ''de jure'' capital of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) as stated iArticle 103 ...

, migrated to

Maracaibo ) , motto = "''Muy noble y leal''"(English: "Very noble and loyal") , anthem = , image_map = , mapsize = , map_alt = ...

in the early 1960s. Immigration from South Korea increased with Venezuela's economic prosperity in the 1970s, and a South Korean embassy opened in Caracas in 1973. There were 300 South Koreans living in Venezuela as of 2011.

Culture

Since 2010,

Korean culture The traditional culture of Korea is the shared cultural and historical heritage of Korea and southern Manchuria before the division of Korea in 1945. Manchuria refers to the ancient geographical and historical region in Northeast Asia, includ ...

has acquired some interest from the young Venezuelan community, which has been helped by support from the local South Korean community. The South Korean embassy in Caracas and several cultural organizations such as Asociación Venezolana de la Cultura Coreana (AVCC) and Unión de Amantes de Corea (UAC) have promoted numerous events in honor to promote

K-pop K-pop (), short for Korean popular music, is a form of popular music originating in South Korea as part of South Korean culture. It includes styles and genres from around the world, such as pop, hip hop, R&B, experimental, rock, jazz, gos ...

K-rock K-Rock may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media *Korean rock, rock music from Korea Musicians/bands * K-Rock, an American rapper from Memphis, Tennessee who has worked with artist like Tommy Wright III and the American rap group Three 6 Mafia. ...

music and Korean

cinema Cinema may refer to: Film * Cinematography, the art of motion-picture photography * Film or movie, a series of still images that create the illusion of a moving image ** Film industry, the technological and commercial institutions of filmmaking * ...

cuisine A cuisine is a style of cooking characterized by distinctive ingredients, techniques and dishes, and usually associated with a specific culture or geographic region. Regional food preparation techniques, customs, and ingredients combine to ...

drama Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance: a play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a genre of poetry in general, the dramatic mode has been ...

language Language is a structured system of communication. The structure of a language is its grammar and the free components are its vocabulary. Languages are the primary means by which humans communicate, and may be conveyed through a variety of met ...

, and

art Art is a diverse range of human activity, and resulting product, that involves creative or imaginative talent expressive of technical proficiency, beauty, emotional power, or conceptual ideas. There is no generally agreed definition of wha ...

in Venezuela. The Festival Hallyu, which promotes Korean culture, has sent Venezuelans to compete in the

K-Pop World Festival The K-POP World Festival is an annual K-pop talent competition organized by South Korea's Ministry of Foreign Affairs with the support of numerous government agencies. After going through a few preliminary rounds, fans of K-pop are invited by the ...

Sport

Taekwondo ''Taekwondo'', ''Tae Kwon Do'' or ''Taekwon-Do'' (; ko, 태권도/跆拳道 ) is a Korean form of martial arts involving punching and kicking techniques, with emphasis on head-height kicks, spinning jump kicks, and fast kicking techniques. T ...

was brought to Venezuela between 1968 and 1970 by three South Korean teachers: Howo Kan in the

Capital District A capital district, capital region or capital territory is normally a specially designated administrative division where a country's seat of government is located. As such, in a federal model of government, no state or territory has any politica ...

, Cho Kon in

Carabobo , anthem = '' Himno del Estado Carabobo'' , image_map = Carabobo in Venezuela.svg , map_alt = , map_caption = Location within Venezuela , pushpin_map = , pushpin_map_ ...

, and Hong Ki Kim in Anzoategui. Since then, the sport has gained popularity in Venezuela and the country has accumulated major singles titles, making itself one of the world leaders in Taekwondo during the 1980s and 1990s.

References

External links

Embajada de la República de Corea en Venezuela
(South Korea Embassy in Venezuela)
Union de Amantes de Corea
Union Lovers of Korea
Korean Music Entertainment - VenezuelaK-pop World Venezuela
Venezuelan Association of Korean Culture {{Ethnic groups in Venezuela Venezuela Korean diaspora in Latin America