In his welcoming speech, Lee Kyu-hyung, Chairman of the Korean Coordinating Committee of the DRRK Forum and Ambassador of the Republic of Korea to the Russian Federation, drew attention to the similarities between Pak Kyongni and Alexander Pushkin, who became the focus of the festival. ‘About 130 years separate these two writers. Today we are doing something special by bringing them together,’ said Mr Lee Kyu- hyung. ‘But we’ve done this before: it’s been ten years since a monument to Pushkin was raised in the centre of Seoul on the initiative of our Dialogue, and five years since the monument to Pak Kyongni was raised at SPbU. When I think of Pushkin, the first thing that comes to mind is romanticism. When I think of Pak Kyongni, the first thing that comes to mind is humble beauty. Even today, they continue to inspire in our hearts a sense of understanding, friendship, respect and love’.

Elena Chernova, the first vice-rector of SPbU, spoke at the festival on behalf of the university. Elena Grigorievna noted that Alexander Sergeyevich and Pak Kyongni are united by their love for the motherland, their country and their mother tongue. Pak Kyungni not only depicted the great and infinite variety of life with its joys and sorrows, but also the rich culture of the Korean people, while Pushkin not only sang of the beauty of native nature, but also showed the depth of the Russian people, she added.

The writer has a powerful tool in their hands, and it must be handled with great care. It can both divide and unite people of different cultures and faiths. The power of Pushkin and Pak Kyungni’s work and legacy is precisely that they do not divide, but unite.
Elena Chernova, the first vice-rector of SPbU

‘Thanks to the work of these outstanding representatives of our peoples, today, the festival participants from opposite ends of the continent can find points of contact and take one more step towards each other,’ said Elena Chernova, the first vice-rector of SPbU.

Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Korea to the Russian Federation Lee Do-hoon expressed his gratitude to the organisers and participants of the literary festival, which continues to be an unbroken tradition despite any obstacles and difficulties. ‘I am confident that our bilateral relations are based on the friendship between our peoples,’ said Mr Lee Do-hoon. ‘I have high hopes for the Dialogue Russia — Republic of Korea. Since its launch in 2010, the DRRK has played a leading role in promoting civil cooperation between the two countries in various fields — politics, economics, and culture.’

Andrey Kulik, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Russia to the Republic of Korea, noted the contribution of Lee Kyu- hyung and Nikolay Kropachev, heads of the DRRK Coordinating Committees, the Culture and Art Working Group, Korean and Russian philology scholars to the organisation of the festival. He agreed that the countries’ mutual interest in culture is growing and spoke about the projects supported by the Russian Embassy in the Republic of Korea, in particular the 5+5 translation project, the Sergei Rachmaninoff Music Festival, the visits of Russian writers’ delegations, and the Pushkin Readings.

We are well aware of the importance of building cultural bridges and introducing readers in our countries not only to classic Korean and Russian literature, but also to contemporary works. The Embassy has always supported and will continue to support efforts aimed at developing cultural dialogue and mutual enrichment of the cultural heritage of the Russian Federation and the Republic of Korea.
Andrey Kulik, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Russia to the Republic of Korea

Pak Kyungni’s grandson Kim Se-hee talked about the difficulties of the creative process. ‘In our time, literature may seem to have been forgotten. But in times like these, great works are born that heal the human heart. Pak Kyungni’s prose is an alchemical creation of patience and transformation,’ said Kim Se-hee. 

Professor Seok Young-joon of Korea University, head of the Culture and Arts Working Group on the Korean side, returned to the theme of the similarity of the authors in her speech. The line from Pak Kyungni’s poem "Life" engraved on the base of her monument ("And why do both joy and sorrow become so bright for us?") reminded her of Pushkin’s words from his poem "On the Hills of Georgia": "My feeling’s sad and light; my sorrow is bright". Professor Seok Young-joon shared the view that the generations of the poetic world are interrelated: the themes in the poems of writers from different eras are in harmony with each other.