Director of North Korea’s Department of Europe, Cultural Committee, Ryu Sung Rim (right) wants more cooperation with Barents on cultural issues. Photo: Thomas Nilsen
The two-man delegation from the Peoples Republic of Korea has followed Barents Spektakel, a festival in the Norwegian Russian borderland in Kirkenes.
- We will use culture to meet the Koreans in the south also, says Ryu Sung Rim, Director of the Department of Europe with the Committee of cultural relations with foreign countries.
Like Norway, North Korea borders Russian in the north.
The North Koreans’ attention to Kirkenes and the Barents Spektakel festival were initiated by the Norwegian artist Morten Traavik. Last week, Traavik made an installation with Norwegian Russian border pillars through the centre of Kirkenes and Oslo.
- It is useful to see other places and we hope to establish more cultural exchange with the Barents Spektakel festival, says Ryu Sung Rim, visiting the editorial desk of BarentsObserver.com together with his assistant and Morten Traavik on Monday.
In addition to participating at the many cultural events in Kirkenes, the North Koreans also got a presentation of the Barents Cooperation by Rune Rafaelsen, the head of the Norwegian Barents Secretariat.
Artist Morten Traavik (left) and the North Koreans are introduced to the Barents Cooperation by Rune Rafaelsen.
Photo: Thomas Nilsen
