Korean Consul General in Wuhan strengthens ties through Three Kingdoms culture

Ha Sung-ju, Consul General of the Republic of Korea in Wuhan, Hubei province, expressed his hope to use the Three Kingdoms (220-280) culture as a bridge to expand further tourism and cultural cooperation between ROK and Hubei province.

"I've read Romance of the Three Kingdoms seven or eight times and deeply admire the stories and culture of the Three Kingdoms era," he said.

Since assuming his role in February 2023, Ha has visited multiple cities in Hubei, leaving him particularly impressed by those linked to Three Kingdoms culture, such as Chibi, Jingzhou and Xiangyang.

"Within three months of arriving in Hubei, I visited Chibi because it's the site of the pivotal 'Battle of Red Cliffs' in Romance of the Three Kingdoms," he said, adding that seeing statues of Zhou Yu and Pang Tong felt like witnessing the stories from the book come to life.

Ha shared that he began reading the book in middle school and remains familiar with the geographical names and characters from the novel. "The life wisdom embedded in the book deeply resonates with our Korean readers," he said, adding that the classic explores themes like strategic planning, filial devotion and philosophies of life.

According to Ha, there are multiple Korean translations of the book, some of which have been supplemented with additional stories to enrich the content. In his country, the cultural influence extends beyond translations to include cartoons, games and other products.

"While we are familiar with the stories, most don't know where these events took place," Ha said. He encourages the travel agencies in his country to develop tourism routes centered on Hubei's Three Kingdoms-related cities. He hopes to promote academic exchanges specializing in Three Kingdoms research.