Korean Cultural Heritage Festival and Mayor Derek Corrigan invite the world to Swangard Stadium on Saturday

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      Burnaby mayor Derek Corrigan isn't shy about touting his city's cultural diversity.

      "I profile our community by saying we have people from Afghanistan to Zanzibar—that we speak more than 100 languages in our city," Corrigan tells the Straight by phone. "All of the major religions are represented."

      That's why the City of Burnaby is particularly interested in promoting festivals and events that enhance its multicultural makeup.

      The mayor acknowledges that the council is doing everything it can to brand Burnaby as a centre for diversity.

      "We think it's a strength and an advantage," Corrigan says.

      Korean festival reflects Burnaby's commitment

      It's one reason why council has gotten behind this Saturday's (August 8) Korean Cultural Heritage Festival, which takes place at Swangard Stadium.

      It's a free daylong event beginning at 11 a.m. One of the star attractions will be South Korean Kukkiwon tae kwon do artists performing at 11:45 a.m.

      There's also a jultagi (Korean tightrope artistry) exhibition at 12:15 p.m., and a K-pop competition at 5 p.m., among other attractions.

      Corrigan says that in order to promote cultural harmony, the city encourages organizers of festivals to invite the entire community. This avoids turning these celebrations into ethnic silos.

      It's a message that one of the key drivers of the Korean Cultural Heritage Festival, Mike Suk, has taken to heart. He said that in its early days, about 80 percent of those in attendance were of Korean ancestry. Now, it's closer to a 50-50 ratio, he tells the Straight by phone.

      "It's a multicultural audience," Suk states.

      Kukkiwon martial artists are returning to Swangard Stadium.
      Korean Cultural Heritage Society

      Martial artists will wow the crowd

      Suk is particularly excited about the martial-arts exhibition, noting that Kukkiwon is the world headquarters for the sport.

      "Every black belt is signed off from Kukkiwon," he says.

      Suk has a first-degree black belt in tae kwon do and has represented  B.C. and Canada in this sport.

      He also hopes that people come out to Swangard Stadium to taste the Korean food. He says it will be home-cooked barbecue fare, low in MSG.

      "You get the real Mama's kitchen plates," he says.

      He expects the K-pop competition to attract participants from a wide variety of cultural backgrounds. That's because pop music has become one of South Korea's greatest exports, reaching audiences around the world.

      If you've never seen jultagi, you might want to go to Swangard Stadium on Saturday (August 8).
      Korean Cultural Heritage Society

      Family history drew Mike Suk into the festival

      Suk was born in South Korea and moved to Canada with his parents when he was just six months old in 1982. He likes to quip that he was "born on a plane".

      His parents were high-level classical musicians in their home country and after arriving in the Lower Mainland, they created an amateur orchestra that raised money for numerous charities.

      Because his father Peter is so highly regarded for his cultural contributions, Suk says it was only natural that he would be asked to chair the Korean Cultural Heritage Festival.

      Suk emphasizes that he got involved in part out of love for his son Ryan, who is only 20 months old. Suk hopes that by promoting his cultural heritage, it will rub off on Ryan and other young Korean Canadians.

      "We set up a junior committee with a lot of young, talented fresh faces," Suk said. "They're going to be the ones to take this to the next level."

      He emphasizes that no one is being paid to put on the festival. It's entirely made up of volunteers.

      Suk credits the festival's sponsors, TD Bank and Kia West, as well as the City of Burnaby, for providing sufficient financial help so that it can be free to the public.

      MLA Jane Shin opened doors

      Suk also praises NDP MLA for Burnaby-Lougheed, Jane Shin, who helped him reach out to the broader community.

      As her party's deputy critic for trade, immigration, and multiculturalism, Shin has forged ties with organizers of festivals celebrating many different communities.

      "She opened a lot of doors in terms of getting us talking to the right people in various other multicultural organizations," Suk says.

      Burnaby-Lougheed MLA Jane Shin (seen with former Surrey councillor Barinder Rasode) is a strong advocate of interculturalism.
      Charlie Smith

      For her part, Shin tells the Straight by phone that she appreciates the efforts of the City of Burnaby to promote greater intercultural understanding.

      Shin, the only B.C. MLA of Korean ancestry, points out that "interculturalism" is a valuable approach in countering segregation and social isolation. 

      And she says that the Korean Cultural Heritage Festival does this in many ways, including by highlighting flags of other countries on different drums.

      "In the last few years, from what I've seen, there have been great strides toward interculturalism," she says. "It warms my heart. My life growing up in Canada was all about having friends from all walks of life."

      She notes that many people already live their lives interculturally, whether it's through the food they eat or the relationships they form.

      "It's a rare privilege to be able to have such diversity in our home soil," Shin says.

      Suk emphasizes festival's nonpartisan nature

      At last year's Korean Cultural Heritage Festival, volunteers were wearing orange shirts last year. That caused some to speculate that they were promoting the NDP, which has orange signs.

      In fact, Suk says, the orange clothing had nothing to do with partisan politics.

      His father-in-law in Los Angeles has an apparel-manufacturing business.

      "He donates T-shirts every year," Suk says. "The only thing he had in inventory was these orange shirts."

      Suk declares that the Korean Cultural Heritage Society has no political affiliations.

      "What this organization is about is to strengthen our multicultural spirit," he says. "We want to enrich the lives of our fellow citizens. That's what Canada is about."

      The Korean Cultural Heritage Festival begins at 11 a.m. at Swangard Stadium on Saturday (August). Admission is free and tickets are available here.

      Comments

      3 Comments

      Facts

      Aug 7, 2015 at 8:07pm

      Thank you Straight for covering the meaning of the cultural festivals in Burnaby.
      On Burnaby MLA Jane Shin, it is fine for Suk to send accolades to her, but for fair and honest reporting, Jane Shin, ironically, has created more divisiveness in the Korean community.
      Many many Koreans do not trust her because she misled her very own community, along with the electorate, with her misleading credentials. Re: claiming to be a professional medical doctor, among others.
      Please do not mislead the readers and the public.
      Thank you.

      Goodkorean

      Aug 13, 2015 at 1:38pm

      99.99% of Koreans are very proud of decent, smart and hardworking the first ever elected Korean-Canadian MLA, JANE SHIN. Just a handful of jealous other party members ( they are Koreans too) has been always making libelous statements here and there.

      @Goodkorean

      Aug 13, 2015 at 7:55pm

      How are the "facts" that MLA Jane Shin misled the electorate with her resume details and by her own song as "work as a physician" and having a "license" to practice medicine (supposedly from the U.S. somewhere, according MLA Jane Shin) libelous?
      She said these with her own mouth.