October 28 is the Czech National Day that celebrates the independence of Czechoslovakia back in 1918. Although Czechoslovakia no longer exists today, Czech people memorialize October 28 as the day of founding of their modern democratic state.

In the reception held prior to the concert, MOFA’s Deputy Minister for Public Diplomacy Jae-bok Chang emphasized the bilateral friendship saying, “the Czech Republic is one of the countries that Koreans feel so close and familiar with."

Mentioning that Year 2020 also marks the fifth year of the Strategic Partnership, Czech Ambassador to the Republic of Korea Gustav Slamečka highlighted the diverse areas of cooperation of the two countries saying, “our relations rely on balanced ingredients of political, economic, cultural and people to people relations. We share the same democratic values, cherish human rights and freedoms, enjoy multifaceted cooperation in science, technology and economy, and support tourism and student exchanges.”

At the Commemorative Concert, the Seouloratorio Orchestra which is led by Maestro Young-Chul Choi, the holder of the ‘Gratias Agit’ Award by the Czech Minister of Foreign Affairs, has performed the beautiful harmony of both Korean and Czech classical music pieces as well as the two national anthems.