South Korean conglomerate Hanwha Group held a musical performance for elementary school students last week as part of its arts education project, the company said Thursday. The group invited some 150 students to a hanok village in Gongju, South Chungcheong Province last Wednesday to offer them a chance to learn about Korean traditional music and arts.

The event featured a performance by Kim Duk-soo -- a master of “samulnori” or Korean traditional percussion music -- and his troupe, the company said.

“It was great to see master Kim Duk-soo’s show in person. I want to present an amazing stage performance like him at an upcoming recital,” said a fourth-grader attendee surnamed Park.

At the event, Sookmyung Women’s University students also played “gayageum,” or the Korean zither with twelve strings, the company said.

At the end of the show, the performing artists invited students on stage to play the traditional instruments.

“The twinkling eyes of the children tell me that the future of Korean traditional arts is bright,” samulnori master Kim said.

There was also a lecture by calligrapher Kang Byung-in on the beauty of the Korean alphabet.

Hanwha Art Plus has been hosting the event annually since 2009. Hanwha Group’s executives and employees have been participating in the project as volunteers, the company said. 

By Kim Bo-gyung (lisakim425@heraldcorp.com)