Diverse Entertainment at KORUS Festival Attracts Crowd

Jonathan Perez and his girlfriend were driving through Annandale when the familiar rhythm of Bolivian music caught his attention.

"Turn right, turn right," the Bolivian native told his girlfriend, leading her to the KORUS Festival outside the Kmart on John Marr Drive.

The three-day festival is billed as a Korean event, but the decidedly diverse entertainment drew in a diverse audience. Perez, a student at Northern Virginia Community College, decided to attend the festival for his time after being drawn in by the sounds of Los Kjarkes, a popular Bolivia band whose tunes were being covered on Saturday by another Latin music group at the event.

Saturday afternoon performances featured a dancer from India and a Japanese musical performance. However, it was the Korean line dancers dressed as cowgirls who stole the show with their classic steps to traditional country music and another Latin-influenced performance infused with salsa moves to a high-tempo song.

Jim Jurgensen, a Manassas man who grew up in Annandale, was impressed with the event.

"It's slated toward Koreans. They're really using it as a networking (event)," said Jurgensen, a retired banker who found the festival to be a prudent business event for a city with such a large Korean citizen and business base.

In fact, there were a number of banks present at the festival including Foster Bank, a new Korean community bank that opened just three months ago. "It's an opportunity to announce our opening to the community," said teller Hannah Park.

Jonathan Oh, a mortgage counselor from Chase Home Lending, was on hand to sign up new customers and help existing customers with questions about their mortgage. "Since I'm Korean, we want to support the Korean festival," Oh said.  "We want to put our name in front of people."

Bankers weren't the only one's vying for the attention of festival goers. Insurance companies, university recruiters, women's fashion retailers and campaign workers for candidates running for Virginia's 11th congressional district seat were among vendors hoping to grab the attention of festivalgoers throughout the day.

H-Mart, a major sponsor of the event for the last five years, handed out free Choco-Pie, coupons for the store and $1 Korean ice cream.

"We're here to let people know about H-Mart. There are many people who don't know about H-Mart," said Tony Kim, who works at the store on Heritage Dr. "People are real interested in these coupons and it's a hot day so they want ice cream."

For her second year attending the festival, Annandale High School sophomore Christine Nguyen was keen on seeing the breakdancers while her friend, Justin Kim, 15, of Vienna, was set to eat his way through the festival. "Just eats," he said.

Jason Vivian, an Army captain who drove up from Richmond with his wife and two daughters, said he was hoping for more traditional Korean foods like soup. "We expected a little more variety. It's just street food," said Vivian. Still, the family's spirits were high as his daughters anxiously awaited to see a Tae Kwon Do demonstration.

Vendors sold spicy Korean dishes, sushi, dumplings and that old American favorite, corn dogs.

The food was Kay Pak's favorite part of the festival. "I'm Korean, I like Korean food," said Pak. Saturday's visit to the festival was the Burke woman and her daughter's first time. "It's good the Korean people can come together. [The festival is] a very good idea."