Visitors from Townsville’s sister city Suwon, South Korea get a taste of local culture

A delicious Kup Murri feast on the beach gave the mayor of Suwon a taste of Indigenous culture in Townsville during his recent visit from South Korea.

The mayor of Townsville’s sister city Suwon, Lee Jae-jun, is visiting from South Korea. He’s pictured with cultural facilitator Genus Passi and Townsville mayor Jenny Hill. Picture: Natasha Emeck

A delicious Kup Murri feast on the beach gave the mayor of Suwon a taste of Indigenous culture in Townsville during his recent visit from South Korea.

The mayor of Townsville’s sister city Suwon, Lee Jae-jun, was all smiles as he watched a traditional feast of pork wrapped in banana leaves removed from hot stones placed in the sand along the Strand.

The delicious Torres Strait Island lunch was one aspect of a special cultural immersive experience, including dance and music, the visiting delegates were treated to on Sunday.

Mayo Lee Jae-jun was also gifted with a framed hand-crafted headdress worn by Torres Strait Islander dancers.

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From Kimchi to Kup Murri 💙💚🤍 A delicious #KupMurri feast on the beach gave the mayor of #Suwon a taste of Indigenous culture in Townsville during his recent visit from South Korea.#indgenousticktok#torresstraitislander#torresstraitislander💚💙#townsville#southkorea

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Cultural facilitator Genus Passi said the headdress was very significant to his family and was from the eastern part of the Strait.

“If you know the Torres Strait Island flag, there’s a headdress on there,” he told the visitors.

“It’s universally worn across the whole of the Torres Strait from the east to the west.”

The mayor of Townsville’s sister city Suwon, Lee Jae-jun, is visiting from South Korea. Picture: Natasha Emeck

Townsville’s mayor Jenny Hill, who was also in attendance, said it was a special gift for the visitors from Suwon, which became Townsville’s sister city in 1997.

“Our Torres Strait Islander family, which is a big part of Townsville, thank you for doing this and showing our friends from Korea and Japan a bit of culture that does exist in our community,” she said.

“We’re here today to celebrate.”

South Korean visitors were greeted with a special Kup Murri feast at the Strand.

Originally published as Visitors from Townsville’s sister city Suwon, South Korea get a taste of local culture