For the next month, several venues around Seoul will be offering visitors a rare look at the lesser-known sides of Swiss culture.

Korean band Ulala Session performs at the opening night of "Swiss Weeks in Seoul" (photo courtesy of FDFA, Presence Switzerland).

“Swiss Weeks in Seoul,” which includes art and design exhibits as well as cultural exchange events, was organized to mark the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Switzerland and Korea and to celebrate Switzerland’s participation in the upcoming Expo 2012 Yeosu Korea.

The program kicked off at the end of March with “Nights of Sound & Lights,” a 3D light projection show complete with performances by Swiss and Korean musicians, a yodeling act, and a Swiss cheese sampling corner. The event ran from March 22 to 25 at the Sejong Center.

"Nights of Sound & Lights" featured a 3D light projection show at the Sejong Center (photo courtesy of FDFA, Presence Switzerland).

Opening on the same night, also at the Sejong Center, was the “Design Prize Switzerland 2011” (DPS 2011), an exhibition which showcases innovative industrial, textile, and communications design products that were nominated for the most prestigious design prize in Switzerland. After a weeklong run at Sejong Center, the exhibition is now on display until May 6 at KT&G Sangsang Madang in the Hongdae district. Seoul is the first stop for the DPS 2011 exhibition’s worldwide tour.

Meanwhile, across town at the SongEun Art Space in Gangnam, an art exhibit that brings together works by young Swiss contemporary artists will be open until April 21. Entitled “Reflections from Nature,” the exhibit will also offer a variety of art lectures, dialogue sessions with the artists, and other cultural events.

"Reflections from Nature," an exhibit showcasing the works of young Swiss contemporary artists, will run until April 21 at the SongEun Art Space in Gangnam (photo courtesy of FDFA, Presence Switzerland).

Swiss Weeks in Seoul also included a business symposium that was held on April 3, organized by Sungkyunkwan University and the School of Management and Law, Zurich University of Applied Science. The symposium addressed issues in green innovation and sustainable business and included lectures by Swiss and Korean academics and entrepreneurs as well as student discussions and an idea competition.

A symposium on green innovation and sustainable business opens at Sungkyunkwan University on April 3 (photo courtesy of FDFA, Presence Switzerland).

The Swiss Pavilion at Expo 2012 Yeosu Korea will open on May 12. More information can be found at http://www.swisspavilion.or.kr (Korean, English, German, French).

By Kwon Jungyun
Korea.net Staff