While on a state visit to Uzbekistan, President Moon Jae-in visited the mural gallery at the Afrasiab Museum on the afternoon of the 20th (local time), where TRIC had installed immersive digital content created through the Afrasiab Digital Restoration Project.
President Moon was accompanied by First Lady Kim Jung-sook, as well as Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev and his wife.
President Moon remarked, “The crown worn by the envoy has newly identified feathers, which a Chinese expert confirmed as a characteristic of Goguryeo. The sword he carries is also from Goguryeo, indicating that a Goguryeo envoy came to Samarkand during this period. This shows the long history of exchange between our two nations.”
He also recalled seeing a replica of the mural at the National Museum of Korea during President Mirziyoyev’s state visit to Korea in November 2017, adding, “Seeing the original here in person is deeply moving.”
Immediately following the visit, the two heads of state and their spouses attended the signing of the “Korea-Uzbekistan MOU on Cultural Heritage Exchange and Cooperation.” Signed by Korea’s Cultural Heritage Administration Commissioner Chung Jae-suk and Minister of the Uzbek Academy of Sciences Behzod Yuldashev, the memorandum includes provisions for the Korean government’s support in improving the exhibition environment of the Afrasiab Museum.
