Korean Night hopes to draw all cultures

There will be dancing, music, games and displays at this year’s Korean Night. And afterward, there will be a quiz.

The fifth annual Korean Night will be from 6 to 9 p.m. Saturday at Willkie Auditorium. The interactive culture night is sponsored by the Korean Student Association and has a “time machine” theme.

KSA events team chair MinYoung Kim said the night is something students can participate in, and not just watch.

“We want people to know what is Korea,” Kim said.

The night is a mix of traditional and modern Korean culture.

Chang Whie Joung, the association’s vice president, said the group chose the time machine theme because although the old traditions are interesting, they don’t show the modern country.

Kim added that the association wanted to show what college students in Korea are interested in and what music they like so people can learn about the modern country.

The night includes interactive displays where participants can have their names written in traditional Korean handwriting by association members, play traditional Korean games and learn about Korean pop culture.

Kim said quizzes about Korea will be handed out and the answers can be found after the different displays. Prizes such as gift cards will be given out as well.

“We want American and other international students to come,” Mira Jang, the association’s president, said.

Jang added that her goal was to have other groups of students attend the night instead of an isolated group of Korean students.

The performances will begin at 7 p.m. and include dance and music from different performers, including association members, IU students, local performance groups and a group of local Korean children.

The association’s officers said they chose performances that would be a mix of traditional and modern culture. The traditional dances and martial arts will be followed by modern dance and music.

A group of men from the association will perform an imitation of the Korean girl group, Girl’s Generation. The night will also include the association’s IU Sing performance. The group participated in IU Sing in February as a way to publicize their culture.

“We wanted to be a part of a school event,” Kim said, adding that their performance in IU Sing also helped increase awareness of the association.

The Korean hip hop group Radio Starr, which recently performed in New York, will also perform original music. The group is made up of two IU students, one of whom is a member of the association.

In addition to performances and interactive displays, the night will include traditional foods from local Korean restaurants.

Joung said the food has been a popular part of past Korean nights and is a mixture of traditional daily foods and foods prepared on special occasions. The foods include bulgogi, a beef and vegetable mixture with soy sauce, spicy rice cakes and fried foods.

Jang said past events have consisted mostly of Asian students, but that she hoped more American students would take interest and come to understand the Korean culture.

“Understanding and respect is important,” Jang said.