Seokguram exhibition opens in Paris to mark 140 years of Korea-France ties

An exhibition on Seokguram Grotto opened in Paris on Thursday to mark 140 years of diplomatic relations between Korea and France. Titled The Millennium Mystery of Buddhist Art: Seokguram, it runs through March 13, 2027, at the Korean Cultural Center in France. The show includes a 3D immersive video of the grotto and a reconstruction of green-glazed tiles from Gyeongju. Related heritage events, performances and lectures are also being held in Paris.

Seokguram is an artificial granite grotto on Mount Toham in Gyeongju, the capital of the Silla Kingdom.

The grotto was added to the UNESCO World Heritage list in 1995.

Korean Ambassador to France Kwon Hyuk-woon, Rep. Kim Seok-ki, Gyeongju Mayor Joo Nak-young and a Korea Heritage Service official delivered remarks at the opening.

Earlier on Thursday, a 30-minute performance at Trocadero Square opened Korea on Stage in Paris, which runs through Wednesday.

Students will make rubbings of the Hunminjeongeum Haerye, and researchers from the Gyeongju National Research Institute of Cultural Heritage will lecture on Seokguram and Silla excavations on Monday and Tuesday.

Published Oct 2, 2026 11:20 am KST

A promotional poster for "The Millennium Mystery of Buddhist Art: Seokguram" exhibition / Courtesy of Korea Heritage Service

An exhibition on Seokguram Grotto, an eighth-century Buddhist cave temple among Korea's first UNESCO World Heritage sites, opened in Paris on Thursday (local time), alongside a weeklong Korean heritage festival, the Korea Heritage Service (KHS) said Friday.

The exhibition, "The Millennium Mystery of Buddhist Art: Seokguram," runs through March 13, 2027, at the Korean Cultural Center in France. The KHS organized it with the center and the Gyeongju city government to mark the 140th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Korea and France.

Seokguram is an artificial granite grotto on Mount Toham in Gyeongju, the capital of the Silla Kingdom (57 B.C.-A.D. 935). It was added to the UNESCO list in 1995.

The show features a 3D immersive video recreating the grotto's interior and a reconstruction of green-glazed tiles depicting Buddhist guardian deities that once decorated a wooden pagoda base at the Sacheonwang Temple Site in Gyeongju.

Korean Ambassador to France Kwon Hyuk-woon gave opening remarks, followed by congratulatory speeches from Rep. Kim Seok-ki, Gyeongju Mayor Joo Nak-young and a KHS official. Guests then sampled temple food — the plant-based cuisine of Korean Buddhist monasteries — prepared by the Cultural Corps of Korean Buddhism.

Earlier Thursday, the Korea Heritage Agency's performing arts troupe staged a 30-minute show at Trocadero Square to open "Korea on Stage in Paris," which runs through Wednesday. The program included "gilnori," a street procession, along with a lion dance and drum dances.

Events will continue at the cultural center, local schools and Gilsangsa, a Korean Buddhist temple in France, including craft workshops, Seon (Zen) meditation and templestay, a program offering a taste of monastic life. Students will also make rubbings of the Hunminjeongeum Haerye, the 15th-century text explaining the Korean alphabet.

Researchers from the Gyeongju National Research Institute of Cultural Heritage will lecture on Seokguram and Silla excavations on Monday and Tuesday.

This article was published with the assistance of generative AI and edited by The Korea Times.

为纪念韩法建交140周年，石窟庵展览于周四在巴黎开幕。该展览名为“千年佛教艺术之谜：石窟庵”，在法国韩国文化中心展出，展期至2027年3月13日。展览包括石窟的3D沉浸式视频以及庆州出土的绿釉砖复原模型。此外，巴黎还举办了相关的文化遗产活动、演出和讲座。

石窟庵是位于新罗王国首都庆州吐咸山上的一个人工花岗岩洞穴。

该洞穴于 1995 年被列入联合国教科文组织世界遗产名录。

韩国驻法国大使权赫云、国会议员金石基、庆州市市长朱洛荣和韩国文化遗产厅官员在开幕式上发表了讲话。

周四早些时候，在巴黎特罗卡德罗广场举行的 30 分钟演出拉开了“韩国舞台在巴黎”的序幕，该演出将持续到周三。

学生们将制作训民正音解礼的拓片，庆州国立文化遗产研究所的研究人员将于周一和周二讲授石窟庵和新罗考古发掘情况。

发布于2026年10月2日上午11:20（韩国标准时间）

“千年佛教艺术之谜：石窟庵”展览宣传海报 / 图片由韩国文化遗产服务处提供

韩国文化遗产厅（KHS）周五表示，周四（当地时间），在巴黎举办的石窟庵展览开幕，同时还举办了为期一周的韩国文化遗产节。石窟庵是韩国首批联合国教科文组织世界遗产之一，是一座建于八世纪的佛教石窟寺庙。

“千年佛教艺术之谜：石窟庵”展览在法国韩国文化中心展出至2027年3月13日。此次展览由韩国历史学会与该中心及庆州市政府联合举办，旨在纪念韩法建交140周年。

石窟庵是位于庆州吐咸山上的一个人工花岗岩洞穴，庆州是新罗王国（公元前57年-公元935年）的首都。它于1995年被列入联合国教科文组织世界遗产名录。

展览以 3D 沉浸式视频重现了洞穴内部，并复原了描绘佛教守护神的绿色琉璃瓦，这些琉璃瓦曾装饰庆州泗川王寺遗址的木制宝塔底座。

韩国驻法国大使权赫云致开幕词，随后金石基议员、庆州市市长朱洛荣和韩国人文科学研究院官员分别致贺词。之后，来宾们品尝了由韩国佛教文化团准备的寺庙食物——韩国佛教寺院的素食料理。

周四早些时候，韩国文化遗产厅的表演艺术团在特罗卡德罗广场举行了一场30分钟的演出，为“韩国在巴黎的舞台”拉开帷幕，该演出将持续到周三。节目包括街头游行“吉尔诺里”、舞狮和鼓舞。

文化中心、当地学校和位于法国的韩国佛教寺庙吉相寺将继续举办活动，包括手工艺工作坊、禅修和寺庙体验项目（让参与者体验僧侣生活）。学生们还将拓印《训民正音解礼》，这是一部解释韩文字母的15世纪著作。

庆州国立文化遗产研究所的研究人员将于周一和周二就石窟庵和新罗遗址发掘情况进行讲座。

本文由生成式人工智能协助发布，并由《韩国时报》编辑。