First lady Kim Jung-sook greets people at Humayun’s Tomb in Delhi.
By Kim Eun-young and Min-Jeung Kim
Photo = Cheong Wa Dae
First lady Kim Jung-sook visited the UNESCO World Heritage site of Humayun’s Tomb in Delhi, and then attended a K-pop contest organized by the Korean Cultural Center in India, all part of the official itinerary for the Korean president’s state visit to India.
Cheong Wa Dae vice spokesperson Ko Min-jung gave a briefing in Seoul on July 10 and said, “First lady Kim Jung-sook toured Humayun’s Tomb, following a visit to the Akshardham Temple the previous day. She showed her understanding of Indian heritage and traditions, in which various religions and belief systems all coexist together.”
First lady Kim Jung-sook visits Humayun’s Tomb during her state visit to India.
Humayun’s Tomb is the burial site of the Mughal Emperor Humayun (1508-1556), the second Mughal monarch. It’s one of India’s most representative cultural properties, and was declared as an official UNESCO World Heritage site in 1993. Being one of the finest examples of Mughal architecture, it later inspired the designs and architecture that was used in the Taj Mahal.
After listening to an explanation about the history and conservation efforts of the tomb, built in the 1500s, first lady Kim said, “It’s great to see traditions continue on without being destroyed.” She said that she visited the tomb due to time constraints, and sees it as an earlier version of the Taj Mahal, but that next time she visits India she’ll make sure to visit the Taj Mahal itself.
First lady Kim Jung-sook poses for a photograph with the participants of an annual K-pop contest held in the Siri Fort Auditorium in New Delhi on July 9.
The first lady also attended a K-pop contest held in the Siri Fort Auditorium in New Delhi.
It’s the only Korean pop music singing and dancing contest organized by the Korean Cultural Center in India, and has been held annually since 2012. The contest attracted 1,215 participants this year, covering 523 teams. Exactly 22 teams made it into the final rounds.
After the contest, first lady Kim stepped on stage and sang the song “Sunset Glow” by Big Bang together with the winners and some 1,800 people in the audience.
The first lady said that, “India’s food and movies are popular in Korea, just as K-pop is in India,” and that she hopes that the music and movies of the two countries could form a bridge between the peoples of both countries.
eykim86@korea.kr
