On April 14, 2023, Parks Junior High’s very own Korean Culture Club hosted the annual Korean Culture Night (KCN)! The event was held in the theatron at Parks and lasted from 4:30-7:00 p.m. The club started planning the event way back in November 2022, writing skits on Korean history, budgeting money, and assigning working roles for the special occasion. 

During the event, special guests like Korean-American musical artist AZRA, Laguna Road Elementary’s children’s choir, the Parks K-Pop Club, and a band from Sunny Hills High School performed onstage to cheering crowds. Additionally, the guests got to witness a beautiful fashion show that displayed traditional Korean clothing called hanbok. Throughout the evening, everyone snacked on traditional Korean foods including tteokbokki, kimbap, japchae, kimchi, and many others. Traditional Korean games were also set up for guests to learn and play such as ddakji, jegichagi, tuho (pitchpot), yut nori, and gonggi.

Throughout the evening, people from all backgrounds came together to learn about Korean culture and the country’s fascinating history. When asked why he came to KCN, 7th-grader Albert Hong responded, “My friends are Korean, and I wanted to support them.” Another Parks student and member of the Korean Culture Club, Stephanie Park, talked about how much the event meant to her.”Korean culture is important to me because growing up in the U.S. I never got to experience a lot of my ethnic background or celebrate any major traditional holidays,” Park stated. Overall, this immersive experience was a wonderful gathering of the Fullerton community and a highlight of the 2022-2023 school year.