(Olympics) Largest-ever Korea House opens for business in Paris

Korea House, set to serve as the hospitality venue showcasing South Korean culture and supporting the country’s athletes during the Paris Olympics, had its official opening ceremony Thursday.

The Korean Sport & Olympic Committee (KSOC) and the sports ministry will be operating Korea House out of Maison de la Chimie, an international conference center in the French capital.

KSOC President Lee Kee-heung, vice sports minister Jang Mi-ran and South Korean Ambassador to France Choi Jai-chul were among 190 guests on hand for the ceremony.

The KSOC and the sports ministry first ran Korea House during the 2004 Athens Olympics, but did not have one for the past two Olympic Games held during the COVID-19 pandemic — Tokyo 2021 and Beijing 2022.

In the early days, Korea House mostly functioned as a support base for Olympians and hosted press conferences for South Korean medalists. For Paris 2024, the KSOC and the ministry have built the largest-ever Korea House and turned it into a cultural complex, with 15 private and public institutions offering a wide range of exhibitions, hands-on experience events and performances to promote Korean culture.

Korea House is located on the third floor of Maison de la Chimie and will stay open through Aug. 11, the final day of the Olympics.

During the competition, Korea House will hold watch parties for events featuring South Korean athletes, and also host a ballet performance, a fashion show featuring the traditional Korean attire of hanbok, and a dance show featuring young performers from South Korea and France.

“To best promote our culture in Paris, a city famous for its arts and culture, we started preparing for this edition of Korea House two years ago,” KSOC President Lee said.

Korea House will host “Korea Day” on Aug. 1, with officials from the International Olympic Committee and other global organizations on hand for networking opportunities. The KSOC has designated Aug. 10 as “Athletes’ Day,” and will invite South Korean Olympians to Korea House to congratulate them on their performances.

Admission to Korea House is free with tickets booked online. The official website for Korea House (https://teamkoreahouse.co.kr) has more information on tickets and programs.