Multicultural Families in Korea Visit Expo 2012 Yeosu Korea over Weekend

At Yongsan Station in Seoul, 17 families with multicultural backgrounds are excited about a weekend trip to the southern port city of Yeosu, to visit the Expo 2012 Yeosu Korea.
The spouses come from five countries, including China, Mongolia and Vietnam.
Current lawmakerJasmine Lee, Korea's first naturalized citizen to be elected to the National Assembly, visited the station platform to see them off.

[Interview :Jasmine Lee, Lawmaker Saenuri Party] "Well, actually the very main reason that I am actually where I am right now is to be the voice of all the multicultural families here in Korea".

While the train headed down to Yeosu, children sang songs, including traditional folk songs from other countries.
And Korea's culture minister gave a lecture on Korean history and the importance of cultural diversity.

[Interview : Choe Kwang-shik, Minister Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism] "It is very important to ensure cultural diversity through cultural exchanges. Visitors can experience a variety of international cultures at the Expo, so I hope this opportunity could be a chance to deepen the understanding of other cultures".

Arriving at the Expo, they began to look around the International Pavillion, where exhibition booths for over 100 countries are set up.
Children get to experience the culture of their mothers' homelands.

[Interview : Ung Thi Huyng Le, Migrant from Vietnam ] "I am so happy to be here with my family to see Vietnamese products and cultural performances".

[Interview : Jargal Tsedenish. Migrant from Mongolia] "It's great that my child can get to know Mongolia more from this booth. It feels like being at home. "

Then, they went to visit other pavillions, and enjoyed state-of-the-art technology and performances.

[Reporter : Park Ji-won[email protected]] "This special tour on the Expo 2012 Yeosu Korea is hosted by the culture ministry and organized by the National Folk Museum of Korea".

The ministry hopes this tour helps these multicultural families to gain broader cultural perspectives and understand the true value of cultural diversity.
Park Ji-won, Arirang News, Yeosu.

Reporter :[email protected]