OREANDA-NEWS  A concert in honor of Russian-Korean friendship, dedicated to the 150th anniversary of the birth of composer Sergei Rachmaninov, took place on Wednesday at the Russian Embassy in Seoul. Several dozen people took part in the event, including Russian Ambassador Andrey Kulik, Chairman of the Association of Korean-Russian Exchanges Ki Yong Su, President of the Association Ban Kyo Yong and former Defense Minister of the Republic of Korea Kwon Yong Hae, a TASS correspondent reports.

"Rachmaninov's music truly knows no boundaries, space and time. It is gratifying that today friends of Russia have gathered in this hall, who understand it and have respect and sympathy for it, as well as making a significant contribution to the development of bilateral cooperation, strengthening friendship between the Russian and Korean peoples," the Russian Ambassador addressed the audience.

The concert was organized by the Association of Korean-Russian Exchanges. "Relations between Korea and Russia are currently undergoing difficulties due to the conflict situation in the world. However, I believe that for the sake of our future, we should not move away from Russia, which is both historically and geopolitically our most important neighbor," Ki Yong-soo said.

Soprano Jung Seong-hwa, baritones Kim Bo-ram and Chae Yong-joon performed in front of the audience, accompanied by pianist Ahn Bong-soo. They performed some Russian and Korean romances, including "Dream", "I'm Waiting for You", "Black Eyes". The artists studied in Russia, some of them at the Tchaikovsky Moscow State Conservatory. After the speech, the head of the Russian diplomatic mission and the chairman of the association presented the performers with memorable gifts.