The 4th India International Cherry Blossom Festival, 2019 came to a close in Shillong on Saturday.
Ambassador of South Korea to India, Shin Bong-Kil, who was the chief guest of the four-day festival, said that cherry blossom is a majestic sight to see and such festivals reminded him of South Korea where cherry blossom marked the onset of spring season.
In Meghalaya flowers of cherry blossom trees bloom between October and November, the onset of winter.
Shin Bong-Kil said the Republic of Korea and Meghalaya are exploring opportunities for mutual bilateral relations to promote not only tourism but also in terms of exchanging ideas on technological know-how.
The festival was organized by the Meghalaya forest & environment department and the Institute of Bio-resources and Sustainable Development (IBSD) in collaboration with the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR).
LG Electronics Inc, a South Korean Headquartered Multinational Electronics Company was major sponsor of the festival.
The festival was held at Polo 5th Ground and the picturesque Ward’s Lake.
The festival celebrated the unique autumn flowering of Himalayan Cherry Blossoms with several cultural events, besides Korean events (K-events) like K-Pop concert, Korean taekwondo, Korean cuisine and arts stalls exhibiting opportunities on education in South Korea.
Meghalaya forest minister Lahkmen Rymbui also spoke about the relationship between Meghalaya and South Korea and the bilateral meet held between Meghalaya and Republic of Korea where various issues were discussed and ideas were exchanged on socio-economic partnership.