Interview: CDAC to bring meaningful discussions on how to promote Asian cultures, joint development: S.Korean expert

SEOUL, May 15 (Xinhua) -- The Conference on Dialogue of Asian Civilizations (CDAC), hosted by China to boost exchanges and mutual learning among Asian civilizations, will generate meaningful discussions on how to expand Asian cultures as well as joint development, a South Korean expert has said.

"(The CDAC) will be meaningful as experts of the same Asian region gather together to discuss and explore how to expand Asia's cultures and civilizations and make a joint development," Lee Gipyo, president of the Asia Culture Institute under the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism of South Korea, told Xinhua on Tuesday.

The CDAC kicked off Wednesday under the theme of "Exchanges and Mutual Learning among Asian Civilizations and A Community with A Shared Future," bringing together more than 2,000 government officials and representatives of various circles from 47 Asian countries and other nations outside the region.

China is one of the world's top cultural powerhouses, given its time-honored tradition, abundant cultural resources and the Chinese people's strong pride in their culture, Lee said.

He noted that Asia, which has some 60 percent of the world's total population, possesses countless cultural resources though currently Western culture attracts the most attention within the global community.

Against this background, the CDAC will provide an opportunity for exchanges among scholars and representatives of various circles from Asian countries through different programs, including forums, a culture carnival and a food festival, the South Korean quasi-governmental agency head said.

The Asia Culture Institute has served as a bridge between cultures and peoples in Asia through various art projects, such as traditional orchestra and folk-dance troupes as well as a program supporting artists in Asia.

As China and South Korea have a lot in common from the cultural perspective, the two sides will be able to cooperate further to promote Asian cultures to the world, Lee noted.

"(South) Korea and China have a lot in common (in areas) such as traditional proprieties, customs, medicine, arts and clothing, food and shelter. As the cultures and emotions of the people are similar, (the two countries) can become good partners to expand understanding of each other and closely cooperate (in the development of regional culture)," Lee said.

Lee said that since the establishment of bilateral diplomatic relations in 1992, China and South Korea have worked on cultural exchange projects at different levels, including ones between governments, public agencies, private institutions and schools.

"I anticipate that (South) Korea and China can make known the excellence of Asian culture through close cooperation and lead the world culture together going forward," Lee said.