Members of Korea’s diplomatic community had an opportunity to participate in various Korean traditional experiences this month, including a baking class for traditional Korean cookies in Pocheon City, northeast of Seoul.

The cooking event, held on May 9, was part of the Korea CQ Forum organized by the Corea Image Communications Institute and held at the Hangwa Culture Museum in Pocheon.

Cultural attache of the Swiss Embassy Doris Walchli Giraud, the husband of Irish Ambassador Peter Bullen, the president of Thales Korea Mathieu Elie and general manager of Guerbet Korea Didier Beltoise and others participated in making deep-fried sweet rice cakes, called “yugwa” or “hangwa.”

Kim Gyu-heun, the founder of the company Shingung Hangwa, showed the participants the art of making the cookies. He previously provided the desserts at official international events, such as the Asia-Europe Meeting, inter-Korean family reunion and 1988 Seoul Olympics. 

“I am very delighted to have the opportunity to make yugwa for the first time. It is also my first time to Pocheon, a city that has preserved pastoral beauty,” Walchli said.

Other members expressed delight at the variety of the sweets, numbering over 250.

On May 12, CICI members listened to a lecture on traditional Korean patchwork by artist Choi Duk-joo at the Austrian embassy.

Austrian Ambassador Elisabeth Bertagnoli, Turkish Ambassador Arslan Hakan Okcal, Irish Ambassador Aingeal O’Donogue, architect Jung Tai-nam and Korean restaurant Congdu president Han Yoon-ju, among others, participated.

Choi explained how the craft ― once the domain of housewives in traditional Korean society ― has evolved into contemporary design and use, as well as things to consider in making, such as technique, type of embroidery and fabric and length of production.

The CQ Forum, a membership-based club for professionals, was founded in 2006 to cultivate “quotients for creativity, communication, cooperation, concentration and culture.”

By Joel Lee (joel@heraldcorp.com)