Saudi Arabia’s Korean Craze: Korean Street Replica at Little Asia Festival

① Korean Cultural Experience Available at Festivals

A festival in Saudi Arabia that recreates a Korean street is attracting attention. The Little Asia Festival is underway until March 3rd in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. This festival offers a chance to experience various Asian cultures. You can experience the cultures of eight countries, including Korea, China, Japan, Thailand, Singapore, Indonesia, and the Philippines.

The Little Asia Festival introduces Asian culture through art, music, theater, and cuisine. Traditional Korean cultural arts, food, and fashion shows were held in the Korean zone. Performances of fan dances in hanbok were also showcased. Seven Korean restaurants presented local specialty dishes.

Hot chicken flavor ramen, bibimbap, tteokbokki, hot dogs, sweet and sour chicken, and rice cake skewers are also being sold.

There was a place at the festival that perfectly recreated a Korean street. Words like Seoul Special City, Karaoke, and Bubble Milk Tea were written in Korean, adding glamour with neon signboards.

On one side of the festival, characters danced to the song “Gangnam Style.” The locals started dancing to the music when “Gangnam Style” came on. The entrance fee for the Little Asia Festival is about $10 on weekdays and $16 on weekends.

Locals seemed to be thoroughly enjoying the Little Asia Festival. Photos of locals who visited the place can be found on social media. Locals showed great interest in the Korean food introduced on the official account of the Little Asia Festival.

② Saudi Arabia, Jeddah

Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, where the Little Asia Festival is being held, is a city where you can experience cultural openness. It is the first city in Saudi Arabia to host an international film festival, symbolizing openness.

In Saudi Arabia, all cinemas stopped operating in the 1980s. In 2018, after a whopping 35 years, the operation of cinemas resumed as part of Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman’s social reform policy. The fact that the Red Sea International Film Festival was held just three years after the reopening of cinemas is quite impressive.

In 2019, the group Super Junior held a solo concert at a stadium with a capacity of 10,000 seats, making it the first Asian singer to do so. Following this, BTS also held a concert at the King Fahd International Stadium in Riyadh. Surprisingly, men and women in Saudi Arabia danced together at the stadium.

Concerts with mixed-gender audiences were first allowed in Saudi Arabia in 2017. In 2019, men were also allowed to attend concerts by female singers.

③ K-pop fever in Saudi

K-pop fever is in full swing in Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia, an Islamic fundamentalist country, did not have a favorable view of popular culture. However, the national atmosphere began to change with the reign of Crown Prince bin Salman in 2017. Bin Salman announced Vision 2030, stating that he would focus on culture and tourism.

At that time, he selected Korea as a cooperative country. Bader bin Farhan, the Saudi Minister of Culture, also met with producer Lee Soo Man.

The K-pop fever in Saudi Arabia is growing even more. In 2022, the K-culture festival, KCON 2022 Saudi Arabia, was held. It was held for two days at a venue with 10,000 seats. Last year, the K-Travel Festa in Saudi was also held. The festival, aimed at the MZ generation of Saudi Arabia, ran experience centers on themes such as K-beauty, food, and shopping.