Korean parade in NYC draws large crowds

By Kim Jong-chan

The "Korean Parade" took place on the Avenue of the Americas in New York City, Saturday, drawing the largest number of people in the history of such parades.

Organized by the Korean Association in New York and sponsored by the New York Hankook Ilbo, a sister paper of The Korea Times, the two-hour parade began at noon.

The procession was led the joint Rutgers-Traditional Korean Arts Association percussion musical troupe.

About 140 groups participated in the parade, including a colorful float with flowers, a marching band, local Korean organizations, cultural and arts troupes, veterans' groups and Korean schools.

The parade featured, among others, Korean rapper-singer PSY's "Gangnam Style", which has become a global sensation just a few months after its debut, with the music video for it spawning numerous copycat videos and parodies on the Internet.

About 100 American K-pop fans volunteered to participate in a flash mob dance of Gangnam Style. Nearby New Yorkers and tourists sang Gangnam Style together.

An open-air marketplace, which was held at Korea Town on 32nd Avenue, featured bibimbap, a dish of white rice topped with vegetables, beef, a whole egg, and gochujang (chile pepper paste), the making of tteok or rice cake, folk pastimes such as julneomgi or jump rope and paengi chigi, a top-spinning game, and fan dances and a janggu (double-headed drum) performance.
jckim@koreatimes.co.kr

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