The International Council on Archives (ICA) Congress took place last week from September 5-10 in Seoul, South Korea. The international conference took place at the Coex Convention & Exhibition Center located in Samseong-dong of Gangnam-gu district and is of South Korea’s largest convention and exhibition centers. Indeed, the place is immense that boasts a four-story center with four exhibition halls and 48 meeting rooms.
The stone statue, Maitreya, Bongeunsa Temple
Most of the participants of the Congress took time from the busy schedule to visit the Bongeunsa Temple which was conveniently situated across the street from the Coex. The Bongeunsa Temple is a Buddhist temple that dates back to 794. In 1939, and again during the Korean War (1950-1953), most of the temple buildings were heavily damaged or destroyed by fire. Between 1941 and 1982, repairs and renovations have been done to try to restore it to its past glory.The highlight of the temple is a 28 meter (91 foot) stone statue of Maitreya, the Future Buddha. This statue is one of the tallest stone statues in the country. The oldest remaining building is a library that was constructed in 1856. The library contains Flower Garland Sutra woodblock carvings and 3,479 Buddhist scriptures including the works of Kim Jeong-hee.
I will have a full report of the Congress very soon. But, until then, I would like to share some photos with you…
The city of Seoul was ready for the conference as banners strewed the streets.
The auditorium was used for participants to have lunch. It was also used as the venue for the Gala towards the end of the conference.
Here is another auditorium where the Congress kicked-off and where the distinguished keynote speakers gave their talks during the week.
The front facade of the COEX convention center.
Island Time 