[Ms Nakkyun Shin]

Member of the National Assembly,

Former Minister of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism

It is my great pleasure today to welcome you to Designer Soon Hwa Lee's Fashion Show, "Writing Korea" and to congratulate "K conference" for hosting its first conference in Seoul.

In our long 5,000 years of history, the Hanbok has reflected our resplendent culture.

I believe that today's Hanbok fashion show, "Writing Korea", will once again highlight the wisdom and the beauty of our heritage.

Over 30 years, Designer Soon Hwa Lee has worked to connect the past, present, and the future as to not only restore the traditional costumes but also to recreate them to suit the present.

I hope that through this show, we will be able to further share Korean culture and education with many other countries in the years to come.

The Korean Alphabet, "Hangul", was a scientific invention based on the principles of being both easy-to-to-learn and reflecing the concepts of heaven & earth.

Hangul has been exported to countries which did not have their own written language system.

Over 50 countries are in the process of a Korean language education project.

In addition, the number of foreign students who are studying in Korea is now close to 100,000 and our educational institution continues to gain global recognition.

"K Conference" is, therefore, held at a very opportune time and I trust that the time has come for us to take this magnificent culture to a much broader audience.

Finally, I would like to thank the international educators who've come from around the world and express my sincere gratitude to everyone whose dedication and efforts have contributed to this show.

Thank you.