Nationwide Tea Enthusiasts Hold 27th Inseol Tea Culture Exhibition and Tea Etiquette Competition, with Around 300 Students Participating

[Financial News, Incheon = Han Gab-soo] The 27th National Inseol Tea Culture Exhibition and Tea Etiquette Competition, which drew around 300 participants from preschoolers to adults, was held at Gachon University on the 31st. The tea etiquette competition took place alongside a range of programs, including powdered-tea and tea-making experiences.
At the competition, co-hosted by the Korea Tea Culture Association and the Gyubang Darye Preservation Society, the top prize, the Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Award, went to Choi Ha-eun of Jangan University in the university division.
Three exchange students from the medical school at Ghent University in Belgium took part in the competition and experienced Korea’s traditional tea and tea ceremony culture. Exchange student Anouk de Bruin said, “It was impressive to experience firsthand the care and consideration involved in brewing and serving tea.”
Activities at the venue included a powdered-tea experience, preparing a green tea table setting, pounding rice cakes, and tea making. The commemorative ceremony featured a demonstration of seonbi tea ceremony by Gachon University students and a celebratory performance by the Department of Taekwondo.
Among those attending the event were Incheon Metropolitan City Superintendent of Education Do Seong-hun; Jeon Yu-do, head of Incheon Metropolitan City’s Culture and Sports Bureau; Kim Cheon-ju, chair of the Korea Women Consumers Association; Lee Tae-hoon, president of Gachon University Gil Medical Center; and Gachon University Senior Vice President Choi Mi-ri.
So-Yeon Choi, chair of the Gyubang Darye Preservation Society and the Korea Tea Culture Association, said, “The time spent brewing tea is a time to learn the aesthetics of waiting. I hope we will observe etiquette in our daily lives and carry on the wisdom and beauty of everyday life embodied in our traditional tea culture.”
Through its 27 branches nationwide, the Korea Tea Culture Association provides educational and hands-on activities to preserve and promote tea culture and tea ceremony. It trains instructors and professional instructors, and promotes the value of traditional tea culture by holding tea culture events for young people and tea etiquette competitions.
[email protected] Han Gab-soo Reporter