Korean Air Sponsors Russia’s State Hermitage Museum

Korean language guide service has become available for the first time at Russia’s State Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg, as Korean Air today announced the official launch of the new Korean multimedia guide. Korean Air also signed an MOU (Memorandum of Understanding) for further sponsorship over a five year period to produce the museum’s promotional materials, such as visitor guide maps and exhibition posters.

Korean Air and the State Hermitage Museum hosted a sponsorship ceremony at 15:00 pm (local time), Monday, June 29, at the Pavilion Hall of the State Hermitage Museum for 40 guests including Mr. Yang Ho Cho, Chairman and CEO of Korean Air, Professor Mikhail Borisovich Piotrovsky, Director of the State Hermitage Museum, Chairman Alexander Prokhorenko of the St. Petersburg Government Committee for External Relations, Mr. Gyu-Hyung Lee, Korean Ambassador in Russia among others.

“Korean Air is excited to introduce the Korean language, a proud legacy of our culture, in the multimedia tour guide services of the State Hermitage Museum today. We believe that this sponsorship will enhance the level of cultural exchanges between Korea and Russia,” says Mr. Yang Ho Cho, Chairman and CEO of Korean Air.

“Our further sponsorship agreed through the MOU today is another long-term means to contribute to the State Hermitage Museum. This is the latest move in Korean Air’s commitment to enhancing cultural ties between nations and people. As a ‘corporate cultural ambassador,’ we will continue to look for ways to connect communities and cultures around the world,” Mr. Cho added.

The State Hermitage Museum is one of the largest and most renowned museums in the world, with 2.9 million works of art and one of the oldest galleries and museum of human history and culture in the world. More than 2.6 million visitors annually tour six buildings to view the vast collection.

The previous multimedia guide had provided information about the artworks on display in six languages – Russian, English, German, French, Italian and Spanish. Through Korean Air’s sponsorship, Korean has become the first Asian language included in the guide and tens of thousands of Korean visitors can now appreciate the State Hermitage Museum’s 352 display pieces in more depth with lively explanations in the Korean language.

As a leading global carrier, Korean Air has made continuous efforts to spread Korean cultures around the world. Since February 2008, the airline has been sponsoring the multimedia guide service of the Louvre Museum in Paris, introducing Korean language service.

Korean Air will expand its partnership with the world’s prestigious museums and develop various methods to contribute to global cultural understanding.

♦ Special events to celebrate the launch of Korean language service
Starting from July 1, Korean Air will present special edition baggage name tags, printed with the world renowned artwork “Woman Holding a Fruit” by Paul Gauguin, to First and Prestige class passengers traveling on Incheon-Moscow and Incheon-St. Petersburg routes.

Travelers flying Korean Air from Incheon to Moscow or St. Petersburg in all cabin classes will also be offered 50% discount coupons for the new multimedia guide, providing detailed explanation of the Hermitage collection in seven languages.

In addition, Korean Air will introduce its “Flying Art Ambassadors” service on the St. Petersburg-Incheon route later this year. Selected and trained cabin attendants will provide information about museums, tour programs and other cultural knowledge about St. Petersburg to passengers departing from Incheon. On Korea bound flights, the Ambassadors will introduce museums and cultural and tourist sites in Korea to Russian passengers, using Korean Air’s City Guidebook published in 2008.