Thanks to all who braved a VERY windy day and joined us! 

It was an honor to share, with over 150 of you, the beauty and elegance of classical Korean poetry, the artistry of the Korean tea ceremony and expressive dance, and the complexity of tea brewing. We hope that you enjoyed the tea samples & snacks, and that the experience left you with a deeper appreciation for Korean culture. We forward to sharing more cultural events with you in the future.

We hosted over 150 guests and taught them about Korean Lunar New Year/Seollol traditions. There were games such as jaegi (hacky sack), paengi (spinning top), and yutnori (board game). Those present were also taught sebae, the tradition of honoring elders by formal bowing. Coloring and origami were also enjoyed by all.

Thank you to everyone who came out to see us at the Grand Rapids Public Museum Cultural Heritage Festival! The festival brings in cultural organizations throughout West Michigan to share with the community their background, connection to West Michigan, and the country they represent. 

Thank you to everyone who came out to the Liberation Day Picnic! It was a wonderful time eating Korean food provided by Firefox & CM Chicken. The South Korean flag themed cake pops provided by @ogs_bakery were a real treat too!

We look forward to seeing everyone at next years picnic!

The $5,000 donation was the result of generous funds raised at the 10/70 Anniversary Celebration held by Korean Connection on April 20, 2023, at the Goei Center in Grand Rapids, MI.At the event, local Korean War Veterans were remembered for their service in the Korean War. It was a beautiful night of honoring the 70th Anniversary of the signing of the Armistice that ended the Korean conflict, as well as a celebration for the 10th anniversary of Korean Connection as an organization.

Thank you for celebrating Korean Connection's 10th anniversary and recognizing the service of our veterans at the 10/70 Anniversary event!

On October 1, 2022, Korean Connection was honored at Michigan State University by the Council of Korean Studies, and presented with the Special Service Award.

• Thank you Dr. Sung Lee and Roger Thornburg for this nomination.

• Thank you Peter Yoon and the Council of Korean Studies.

• Thank you board members and volunteers past and present.

Korean Connection hosts a community picnic in Millennium Park on August 15, which is The National Liberation Day of Korea. This day celebrates the United States and the Soviet Union's liberation of Korea from 35 years of Japanese rule.

In Summer 2022, Korean Connection and Roger Thornburg LLC helped bring an internationally-acclaimed Korean graffiti artist, Royyal Dog to Grand Rapids, MI to create a photorealistic mural on the Hopson Flats building located across from Founders Brewing Co.

On September 26, 2021, Mayor Bliss and City Manager Washington had a virtual signing ceremony with Gangnam-gu's Mayor Jeong Sun-kyun to discuss the planned Sister City relationship between Grand Rapids and Gangnam-gu.

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Discussions included opportunities for artistic, cultural and economic exchanges, such as Gangnam-gu's continued hosting of ArtPrize in a pop-up format, K-Pop concerts in Grand Rapids as well as start-up, business and medical partnerships.

Korean Connection chose in 2019 to formally celebrate Chuseok for the first time in thanks to West Michigan for its many years of support and participation in the organization's Korean language classes, cooking classes and more.