BUSAN -- The Foreign Ministry broke ground Wednesday for an organization to promote the cultures of Southeast Asian countries as part of efforts to broaden sociocultural exchanges.

The ASEAN Culture House will be sheltered in a four-story building at a 2,640-square-meter area in Busan’s vibrant Haeundae area, with construction work scheduled to be completed around June 2017.

Some 400 ministry and city officials as well as ambassadors and diplomats from the 10-nation bloc, along with ordinary citizens and Southeast Asian students took part in the groundbreaking ceremony.

“The house will play a pivotal role in increasing various two-way exchanges,” Vice Foreign Minister Lim Sung-nam said in a commemorative speech, citing a Vietnamese proverb that says: “One tree does not make a hill, but three trees clustered can become a high mountain.”

Pham Huu Chi, Vietnamese ambassador to Seoul, called the project a “symbol of cooperation and friendship” between the two sides, saying it will contribute to a further strengthening of their strategic partnership. 

The 17.3 billion won ($14.9 million) initiative was unveiled by President Park Geun-hye on the sidelines of a commemorative summit held December 2014 in the port city to mark 25 years of partnership.

The institution is expected to exhibit items donated from each ASEAN member country, featuring their traditional and modern culture, religion and other aspects. It will also be a venue for music concerts and performances as well as gatherings between Southeast Asians here.

“The culture house is the first of its kind, and we’re the first one to launch it among the 10 ASEAN dialogue partners,” said Suh Jeong-in, Seoul’s ambassador to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and one of the key initiators of the plan.

“For cultural exchanges to be sustainable, they have to be reciprocal. As it has so far been one way, given the rise of the Korean wave in Southeast Asia, the house will help raise awareness and understanding among Koreans about Southeast Asian cultures, thus developing bilateral diplomatic relations.”

By Shin Hyon-hee  (heeshin@heraldcorp.com)