Super Junior Lee Teuk met with Saudi Princess at the World Knowledge Forum 2022, “Planning a tourism business based on cooperation with K-pop artists”
Super Junior member Lee Teuk had a talk with Princess Haifa Al Saud as a representative K-pop artist.
With the opening of the World Knowledge Forum 2022 (WKF 2022) on September 20th, a session titled “Meeting with Princess Haifa Al Saud: The future of travel, tourism and culture” was conducted at 5:50 p.m on the same day at Jangchung Arena, Seoul.
In this session, Haifa bint Muhammad (hereinafter referred to as “Princess Haifa Al Saud”), who is Saudi Deputy Minister of Tourism shared her opinions on the future of travel, tourism and culture exchanges with Super Junior’s Lee Teuk.
Lee Teuk introduced, “I’m greeting from the world’s biggest knowledge festival World Knowledge Forum. This is Super Junior’s Lee Teuk. And today, on behalf o K-pop artists, I will have a conversation with Princess Haifa Al Saud, who is also the Deputy Minister of Tourism of Saudi Arabia.”
Princess Haifa Al Saud said, “Thank you for inviting me to the World Knowledge Forum and I am glad to meet you like this. Especially, I am very happy to be here with you, in Seoul, Korea”, adding “The history of Saudi Arabia and Korea goes back many centuries. As we’re marking the 60th anniversary of the strategic partnership between two countries, this year seems to have become more special.”
Lee Teuk asked, “I heard you really love K-pop. So when was your first encounter with K-pop, Princess?”.
In response, Princess Haifa Al Saud said, “I heard about K-pop for the first time from my 11-year-old daughter. When Super Junior went to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia and performed in 2019, my daughter was very interested in the show and she introduced it to me. I also learned the Korean finger heart from my daughter. Saudi Arabia is one of the top 20 markets for K-pop, and there are many K-pop fans in Saudi Arabia.”
Lee Teuk then said, “When I performed in Saudi Arabia in 2019, I was very worried that fans in Saudi Arabia might find Korean difficult to understand. However, local fans sang along to our songs in Korean, learned Korean, and even paid attention to Korean food. Through this experience, I could feel that the distance between Korea and Saudi Arabia has become closer.”
Princess Haifa Al Saud emphasized, “Most people around the world think of oil and deserts when they talk about Saudi Arabia, but in fact, the core of Saudi Arabia is the people”. She continued, “The Saudis are very kind. I think this kindness is a part of our inheritance. In addition, 70% of our total population is in their 30s or less, which makes Saudi Arabia a very young country. And these young Saudis know Korean culture very well. We support young people to be fearless and interested in international things.”
Princess Haifa Al Saud also expressed her curiosity about Lee Teuk’s career. When asked about how he became a representative K-pop artist, Lee Teuk replied, “The most important thing is taking challenges. I think we should knock on every door until it opens. When I first started my activities as an idol, my goal was to become well-loved in Korea, but now I am receiving so much love from people in various countries. I think I was able to achieve this result because I challenged myself without giving up.”
Princess Haifa Al Saud smiled and said, “I think I know why people like Lee Teuk,” and revealed her idea of a tourism business based on cooperation with K-pop artists.
She said, “I have an idea that what if we could make a package that looks back on the path that K-pop artists with a strong fandom like Leeteuk have traveled in Saudi Arabia? It is to make a course to tour the Golden Market in Saudi Arabia, UNESCO heritage sites, etc. I hope that cultural exchanges between the two countries can be enhanced through this process”, expressing her wishes.
Lee Teuk then said, “If you give me an offer as a Saudi tourism ambassador, I will definitely accept it. And if you come on a trip next time, I will be your guide. We have a Saudi performance scheduled in January next year, and I hope we can share good places and foods in Saudi Arabia together”. Princess Haifa Al Saud responded, “If you take your time, I will reserve a good restaurant.”
Finally, Princess Haifa Al Saud said, “We have prepared a gift to show our culture well. Saudi men wear wreaths on their heads. It means wishing for Leeteuk’s happiness and good health.” In response, Leeteuk gave a warm feeling by handing a box wrapped in a cloth, saying it was a gift containing Korean culture.
Haifa Al Saud is the princess of the Saudi royal family and holds the position of Deputy Minister of Tourism of Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia is the largest market for Korean tourists in the Middle East and the importance of tourism cooperation is increasing due to young people’s growing interest and affection for Korean culture.
As the leader of the popular K-pop group Super Junior, Leeteuk was loved for many hit songs such as ‘Sorry, Sorry’, ‘Mr. Simple’, ‘Miracle’, ‘It’s You’, and ‘Beautiful Ah’. With his witty talk, he is also active as a host for various entertainment programs.
The World Knowledge Forum hosted by Maekyung Media Group will be held at Jangchung Arena, Shilla Hotel and DDP until the 22nd. This year’s forum will be held on the theme of ‘over -recovery:’ SUPERCOMPENSATION: RESTORING Global Prosperity & FREEDOM ‘.
Source: daum
