First day of Korea Festival kicks off in Abu Dhabi - in pictures

Here's a look at day one of the event at the National Theatre in Abu Dhabi

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  The Korea Festival has returned and will run from October 17 until November 10. Victor Besa / The National

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  The first day of the Korea Festival featured traditional Korean dance from the Jindo National Gugak Center. Victor Besa / The National

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  The first day of the UAE Korea Festival featured traditional Korean dance. Victor Besa / The National

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  The highlight of the show was Salpuri, a folk dance that translates to 'wash away evil spirits'. Victor Besa / The National

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  Traditional Korean dance on display. Victor Besa / The National

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  A traditional Korean drum performance. Victor Besa / The National

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  B-boy group Expression Crew also performed a hip-hop-inspired dance. Victor Besa / The National

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  From left: Heesook Yang, Euna Cho, Juhee Woo and Hyemin Kang attend the first day of the Korea festival. Victor Besa / The National

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  The group is most famous for it's 'Marionette' performance. Victor Besa / The National

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  The performance was created in 2005 with highlights being a glow-in-the-dark performance and a puppeteer performance. Victor Besa / The National

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  Ruba Al Hassan, UAE Ministry of Culture and Knowledge Development, and Park Kang-ho, Ambassador of the Republic of Korea to the UAE, exchange tokens of appreciation. Victor Besa / The National

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  The Remembrance of Zayed, Lights in Consonance media art show kicked off the festival. Victor Besa / The National

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  The Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque during the Remembrance of Zayed, Lights in Consonance show. Victor Besa / The National

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  The Burj Khalifa is seen during the Remembrance of Zayed, Lights in Consonance show. Victor Besa / The National

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  Mosaic artist Abdulla Sulaiman. Victor Besa / The National

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  The Korean ambassador to the UAE Park Kang-ho gives a speech at the festival. Victor Besa / The National

The UAE Korea Festival has begun.

Taking place at the National Theatre in Abu Dhabi, it kicked off with traditional Korean music and dance by the Jindo National Gugak Centre as well as a B-boy show by Expression Crew, which focuses on hip-hop inspired dance.

There was also a special media art show commemorating the story of the UAE Founding Father, Sheikh Zayed, called Remembrance of Zayed, Lights in Consonance. The opening day showcased the friendship between  the countries.

The Korea Festival runs until November 10. For more information, visit www.koreafestivaluae.com

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Your guide to the UAE Korea Festival 2018: K-pop, art, food and more

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