Ambassadors and other representatives from the ASEAN member states pose for a group photo during the opening ceremony of the Seoul ASEAN Hall at the Korea Press Center on Friday. — VNA/VNS Photo

SEOUL — A new ASEAN Hall was launched in Seoul, the Republic of Korea (RoK) on Friday to mark the 58th anniversary of the founding of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

Situated on the first floor of the Korea Press Centre, the ASEAN Hall is a multifunctional exhibition space designed to promote deeper engagement between ASEAN’s member states and the RoK in culture, tourism, and economy.

It is envisioned as a new platform for strengthening exchanges and mutual understanding.

The opening ceremony was attended by senior officials from the RoK's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, ambassadors of ASEAN countries in Seoul, and leading figures from the cultural and business sectors, underscoring the event’s significance.

Featuring a permanent exhibition area, the ASEAN Hall will function both as a cultural showcase and as a dynamic venue for ASEAN-related events and programmes. Its inauguration on ASEAN Day added symbolic weight, marking a fresh milestone in ASEAN–RoK relations.

Beyond serving as a physical venue, the ASEAN Hall reflects a broader shift in cooperation - from traditional political and economic ties towards deeper cultural and people-to-people connections. All ten ASEAN member states contributed actively to its planning and programming, making it a model of genuine exchange and collaboration.

To mark the launch, an exhibition themed "Fruity Fruit: Colorful Days in Southeast Asia" opened alongside the Hall.

Centred on tropical fruits, it explores everyday life and artistic expression across Southeast Asia, showing how these fruits - through trade and cultural exchange - have become familiar elements in Korean life. This exhibition uses fruit as a medium to visually explore the connections between ASEAN and Korea-bridging locality and universality, as well as tradition and modernity.

In his remarks, Kim Jae-shin, Secretary-General of the ASEAN–Korea Centre, stressed that the ASEAN Hall is an open space to showcase the region’s cultural diversity to the Korean public while fostering future-oriented cooperation built on mutual understanding.

He expressed his hope that the Hall would become a key platform for deepening collaboration and cultural appreciation.

The ASEAN Hall is open to the public from Monday to Friday. In addition to this new facility in Seoul, the ASEAN–Korea Centre operates another ASEAN Hall in Jeju and plans to expand the model as part of a broader outreach strategy beyond the capital. — VNA/VNS