K-pop concerts, exhibitions, workshops and seminars are some of the activities to look forward to at this year's Korea Festival. Hosted by the Embassy of the Republic of Korea and the Ministry of Culture and Knowledge Development of the UAE, this year's event runs from Tuesday, October 15 to Saturday, November 9 at locations around the Emirates. Now in its sixth year, the festival helps promote cultural exchange between the UAE and Korea.
Here’s a look at some of the highlights of what’s happening at this year’s festival:
Year of Tolerance exhibition
When: Tuesday, October 15 to Saturday, November 9
Where: Cultural Foundation, Abu Dhabi
Members of the National Academy of Arts of the Republic of Korea’s Fine Art Division will display their art with the theme of the Year of Tolerance. The exhibition features different genres of artwork including calligraphy, sculpture and painting. The exhibition also revolves around people, nature, life and heritage.
Korean Brand and Content Expo
When: Wednesday, October 16 to Friday, October 18
Where: Dubai World Trade Centre
The three-day event is split into three parts: business and networking, exhibition and events and a K-pop concert. Those looking for a potential new business venture can head to Sheikh Saeed Hall 2 for business and networking on October 16 to 17.
See, feel and try Korean beauty, fashion and food products during the exhibition and events on October 17 to 18 at Sheikh Saeed Hall 1.
And finally, K-pop boy bands Seventeen and SF9 will perform at Trade Centre Arena on October 17. Actress Ha Ji Won (Damo, Secret Garden) will also be in attendance to meet fans.
Korean Traditional Medicine: seminar and treatment trial
When: Saturday, October 19 at 4pm
Where: Korean Cultural Centre, Abu Dhabi
Learn more about Korean medicine. The 90-minute seminar will focus on the causes and treatments of hair loss and the ways to keep your hair healthy through traditional Korean medicine. After the seminar, there will be medical consultations on request and trials of Korean herbal tea and herbal products.
K-Music Night with Dubai Opera Orchestra, Fatima Alhashemi, Second Moon, GongMyoung and D-Crunch
When: Thursday, October 24, 7.30pm to 9.30pm
Where: Cultural Foundation
The event will see Korean and Emirati musicians come together as the Dubai Opera Orchestra and opera singer Fatima Alhashemi will collaborate with Korean bands Second Moon and GongMyoung to perform songs in both Korean and Arabic.
Second Moon is a South Korean ethnic fusion band that have performed in several folk festivals around the world. GongMyoung is a performing arts group who reinterpret traditional Korean music in a modern way.
Also performing will be K-pop boy band D-Crunch. The nine-member group debuted in 2018 with the song Palace and have a strong emphasis on hip-hop. The group has six rappers and three vocalists.
Korean Temple Food cooking class with Jeong Kwan
When: Friday, November 1 at 3pm for public, Sunday, November 3 for professional chefs
Where: Korean Cultural Centre
Jeong Kwan is coming to Abu Dhabi to introduce Korean temple cuisine. The Zen Buddhist nun, who was featured on an episode of Netflix's Chef's Table in 2017, cooks for fellow nuns and monks as well as occasional visitors but does not own a restaurant and has no formal culinary training. During her class, she will demonstrate how she prepares temple food with participants getting to experience preparing and tasting it. She will host two events, one for the public and one for professional chefs.
Registration is required as spots are limited. To apply for a spot in the class, click here.
Baru Gongyang with Jeong Kwan
When: Tuesday, November 5 at 6pm
Where: Korean Cultural Centre
For those who can’t make the cooking class, there is another chance for a session with Jeong Kwan. In Korean Buddhism, eating meals is referred to as Baru Gongyang and participants will be able to enjoy her food using baru (wooden bowl) as they practice the ritual that’s used for having a meal in a temple. Temple meals are carried out in an orderly procedure and are an important part of monastic practice.
Registration is required as spots are limited. To apply for a spot in the class, click here.
K-Music night with BIG
When: Thursday, November 7 from 7.30pm to 9pm
Where: Cultural Foundation
Korean boy band BIG (Boys in Groove) will perform a mix of K-pop and Arabic cover songs. Formed in 2014, the group has taken Arabic lessons to help while performing covers of popular Arabic songs such as Boshret Kheir by Hussain Al Jassmi and La Bezzaf by The 5. They've also released an Arabic version of their single Hello Hello.
More information is available from koreafestivaluae.com
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Profile of Bitex UAE
Date of launch: November 2018
Founder: Monark Modi
Based: Business Bay, Dubai
Sector: Financial services
Size: Eight employees
Investors: Self-funded to date with $1m of personal savings
The Perfect Couple
Starring: Nicole Kidman, Liev Schreiber, Jack Reynor
Creator: Jenna Lamia
Rating: 3/5
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Fixtures
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What is a black hole?
1. Black holes are objects whose gravity is so strong not even light can escape their pull
2. They can be created when massive stars collapse under their own weight
3. Large black holes can also be formed when smaller ones collide and merge
4. The biggest black holes lurk at the centre of many galaxies, including our own
5. Astronomers believe that when the universe was very young, black holes affected how galaxies formed
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Various Artists
Habibi Funk: An Eclectic Selection Of Music From The Arab World (Habibi Funk)
THE CLOWN OF GAZA
Director: Abdulrahman Sabbah
Starring: Alaa Meqdad
Rating: 4/5
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-finals, first leg
Liverpool v Roma
When: April 24, 10.45pm kick-off (UAE)
Where: Anfield, Liverpool
Live: BeIN Sports HD
Second leg: May 2, Stadio Olimpico, Rome
Scoreline
Saudi Arabia 1-0 Japan
Saudi Arabia Al Muwallad 63’
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Conflict, drought, famine
Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024.
It has been claimed that the policies of the Ethiopian government, which took control after deposing Emperor Haile Selassie in a military-led revolution in 1974, contributed to the scale of the famine.
Dr Miriam Bradley, senior lecturer in humanitarian studies at the University of Manchester, has argued that, by the early 1980s, “several government policies combined to cause, rather than prevent, a famine which lasted from 1983 to 1985. Mengistu’s government imposed Stalinist-model agricultural policies involving forced collectivisation and villagisation [relocation of communities into planned villages].
The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.
Band Aid
Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts.
With Midge Ure of the band Ultravox, he wrote the hit charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas in December 1984, featuring a string of high-profile musicians.
Following the single’s success, the idea to stage a rock concert evolved.
Live Aid was a series of simultaneous concerts that took place at Wembley Stadium in London, John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, the US, and at various other venues across the world.
The combined event was broadcast to an estimated worldwide audience of 1.5 billion.
GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh149,900
SPECS
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Company Profile
Name: Thndr
Started: 2019
Co-founders: Ahmad Hammouda and Seif Amr
Sector: FinTech
Headquarters: Egypt
UAE base: Hub71, Abu Dhabi
Current number of staff: More than 150
Funds raised: $22 million
Ponti
Sharlene Teo, Pan Macmillan
The five pillars of Islam
MORE ON IRAN'S PROXY WARS
T20 World Cup Qualifier, Muscat
UAE FIXTURES
Friday February 18: v Ireland
Saturday February 19: v Germany
Monday February 21: v Philippines
Tuesday February 22: semi-finals
Thursday February 24: final
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Volvo ES90 Specs
Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm
On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region
Price: Exact regional pricing TBA
MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW
Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman
Director: Jesse Armstrong
Rating: 3.5/5
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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