(Asiad) S. Korean hospitality house for Asian Games opens

NAGOYA, Japan, Sept. 18 (Yonhap) -- The South Korean hospitality house for the Asian Games opened in the Japanese host city of Nagoya on Friday, set to support Korean athletes and welcome visitors from around the world amid the growing global popularity of South Korean culture and tourism.

Korea House is set up at Lives Nagoya, a multipurpose live music venue and event space on the southern coast of the city.

The Korean Sport & Olympic Committee (KSOC) will operate Korea House until Oct. 3, a day before the closing ceremony of the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, which will run for 16 days.

For the opening ceremony, KSOC President Ryu Seung-min and Sports Minister Chae Hwi-young were joined by several International Olympic Committee (IOC) members and representatives from national Olympic committees.

Won Yun-jong, the newly elected South Korean member of the IOC Athletes' Commission, was also in attendance.

The ceremony focused on promoting dynamic Korean culture and sports, starting with a taekwondo demonstration and a performance by B-boy crew Fusion MC.

"Korea House is a place where people meet and connect with each other to share their new experiences," Ryu said.

"During the competition, we hope that people enjoy and share the energy and diversity of Korean culture as well as Team Korea's passion."

The KSOC said Korea House will serve as a venue promoting South Korean culture and tourism at multisport events and as a hub for sports diplomacy.