Apsara dancers perform during the opening ceremony of the Angkor-Gyeongju World Culture Expo 2006 at Cambodia's 9th-12th century Angkor temple complex in Siem Reap province, 299km (186 miles) northwest of Phnom Penh, November 21, 2006. South Korea's president Roh Moo-Hyun was a guest of honor as Cambodian authorities launched their most elaborate cultural festival to date, in a bid to boost tourism by wooing South Korean visitors . REUTERS/Chor Sokunthea
Cambodian Apsara dancers perform during the opening ceremony of the Angkor Gyeogju World Culture EXPO 2006 in Siem Reap province, some 314 kms Northwest of Phnom Penh. South Korea's president was a guest of honor as Cambodian authorities launched their most elaborate cultural festival to date, in a bid to boost tourism by wooing South Korean visitors.(AFP/Tang Chhin Sothy)Wednesday November 22, 2006
SIEM REAP, Cambodia (AFP) - South Korea's president was a guest of honor as Cambodian authorities launched their most elaborate cultural festival to date, in a bid to boost tourism by wooing South Korean visitors.
Accompanied by Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen and other senior officials, President Roh Moo-Hyun arrived in Siem Reap, the gateway to the famed Angkor temple complex, to kick off the Angkor-Gyeongju Culture Expo, a joint cultural festival that runs through January 2007.
Amid swirling Korean dances and royal Angkorian processions, Roh -- who arrived Sunday on the first visit to Cambodia by a South Korean president -- hailed both countries' heritages.
"Korea and Cambodia are equipped with cultural capacities and assets acquired over many years," he said, according to the English text of his speech.
"Both countries have preserved their cultural identity while weathering numerous invasions and have accepted and transformed various cultures into something of their own," Roh added.
The 50-day expo, being held next to the Angkor archeological park, will highlight Cambodian and Korean products.
But its main aim is to allow visitors to linger, taking in exhibits and cuisine from both cultures.
Traditional Camdodian and South Korean games will also be played, including cock fighting in the Cambodian pavilion, which resembles a Khmer night market with its walls of woven reeds and florescent lights.
In the Korean pavilion, replicas of objects from South Korea's Silla dynasty, of which Gyeongju was the ancient capital, are on display.
After the opening ceremony, the two leaders toured the Angkor complex together and Roh offered prayers inside one of the ancient temples.
Organizers hope to attract more than 300,000 people by the festival's close, representing a huge influx into Cambodia's premier tourist location.
"This expo will improve the understanding of culture and tourism," premier Hun Sen said.
Tourism is one of the country's only money-spinners, with Cambodia seeing some 1.4 million visitors last year. The government hopes to top three million tourists annually by 2010.
South Koreans make up the largest single group of tourist arrivals to Cambodia. In 2005, some 18 percent of the tourists visiting Cambodia were South Koreans.
"Korean people take special interest in Cambodia. One out of five foreign tourists visiting Cambodia is Korean," Roh said.
While authorities are keen to attract foreign visitors, some local business people say that Siem Reap's increasingly sophisticated tourist sector could actually be bleeding the local economy of money.
"Korean tourists come in on Korean tour packages, travelling in Korean buses and staying in Korean-owned hotels," said one Siem Reap guesthouse owner.
"That money is not going into here."
Roh's visit was also marked by the signing of several economic and diplomatic agreements meant to boost ties between the East Asian power and one of the world's poorest countries.
South Korea is also the fifth largest aid donor to Cambodia, which is still clawing its way back to normalcy after nearly three decades of conflict that ended in 1998.
In 2005, two-way trade reached 150 million dollars, with South Korean exports, mainly textiles, used cars and medical products, totalling 144.3 million dollars, according to data from the South Korean foreign ministry.
South Korea also imported goods worth 5.9 million dollars from Cambodia that included rubber and fishery products last year.
Accompanied by Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen and other senior officials, President Roh Moo-Hyun arrived in Siem Reap, the gateway to the famed Angkor temple complex, to kick off the Angkor-Gyeongju Culture Expo, a joint cultural festival that runs through January 2007.
Amid swirling Korean dances and royal Angkorian processions, Roh -- who arrived Sunday on the first visit to Cambodia by a South Korean president -- hailed both countries' heritages.
"Korea and Cambodia are equipped with cultural capacities and assets acquired over many years," he said, according to the English text of his speech.
"Both countries have preserved their cultural identity while weathering numerous invasions and have accepted and transformed various cultures into something of their own," Roh added.
The 50-day expo, being held next to the Angkor archeological park, will highlight Cambodian and Korean products.
But its main aim is to allow visitors to linger, taking in exhibits and cuisine from both cultures.
Traditional Camdodian and South Korean games will also be played, including cock fighting in the Cambodian pavilion, which resembles a Khmer night market with its walls of woven reeds and florescent lights.
In the Korean pavilion, replicas of objects from South Korea's Silla dynasty, of which Gyeongju was the ancient capital, are on display.
After the opening ceremony, the two leaders toured the Angkor complex together and Roh offered prayers inside one of the ancient temples.
Organizers hope to attract more than 300,000 people by the festival's close, representing a huge influx into Cambodia's premier tourist location.
"This expo will improve the understanding of culture and tourism," premier Hun Sen said.
Tourism is one of the country's only money-spinners, with Cambodia seeing some 1.4 million visitors last year. The government hopes to top three million tourists annually by 2010.
South Koreans make up the largest single group of tourist arrivals to Cambodia. In 2005, some 18 percent of the tourists visiting Cambodia were South Koreans.
"Korean people take special interest in Cambodia. One out of five foreign tourists visiting Cambodia is Korean," Roh said.
While authorities are keen to attract foreign visitors, some local business people say that Siem Reap's increasingly sophisticated tourist sector could actually be bleeding the local economy of money.
"Korean tourists come in on Korean tour packages, travelling in Korean buses and staying in Korean-owned hotels," said one Siem Reap guesthouse owner.
"That money is not going into here."
Roh's visit was also marked by the signing of several economic and diplomatic agreements meant to boost ties between the East Asian power and one of the world's poorest countries.
South Korea is also the fifth largest aid donor to Cambodia, which is still clawing its way back to normalcy after nearly three decades of conflict that ended in 1998.
In 2005, two-way trade reached 150 million dollars, with South Korean exports, mainly textiles, used cars and medical products, totalling 144.3 million dollars, according to data from the South Korean foreign ministry.
South Korea also imported goods worth 5.9 million dollars from Cambodia that included rubber and fishery products last year.
1 comment:
Oh my God! So many beautiful Cambodian women and so little time!
I just hope AH HUN SEN don't get to these beautiful Cambodian women before me! ahahahahah Hey! What can I say because sex is cheap in Cambodia! This explain why every Cambodian people in Cambodia have a very cheap life!
How can anybody expect Cambodian people to move forward if AH HUN SEN family treated Cambodian people no less than an animal!
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