Mongolia is the first nation showcased at the new KOICA Global Village.

Late last month, the Korea International Cooperation Agency opened the doors of its own exhibition center on the first floor of the KOICA training center in Seocho-dong.

“I want to express my gratitude for selecting Mongolia as the first nation introduced at the KOICA Global Village in the wake of the 20th anniversary of Korea-Mongolia diplomatic ties,” said Mongolian Ambassador Gerel Dorjpalam.

The center plans to introduce the lifestyles and cultures of 56 developing nations around the world where KOICA has a presence.

“Promoting exchange and cooperation in such diverse areas will surely help to further bring our two countries closer,” said Dorjpalam.

The Global Village houses four exhibition rooms that take up a 330 square meter area.

“It’s truly meaningful to establish this new exhibition center that helps us understand major issues around the world, in tune with the era of globalization,” said KOICA president Park Dae-won during the opening ceremony on Jun. 29.

The plan for the center is to rotate exhibitions every three months to introduce one country after the other, which are all involved in KOICA’s assistance project.

The Mongolian Embassy plans to run programs about its culture, including a chance to experience the Nadam Festival, sampling traditional cuisine and participating in a seminar on climate change.

“Korea, once so poor right after the Korean War, managed to pull itself up to become one of the economic powerhouses in the world,” said Lee Ra, a Mongolian woman who became the first foreign-born councilor in Gyeonggi Province in a recent local election.

She added that “Mongolia needs that kind of experience that Solongos went through.” Solongos is a nickname Mongolians have given Korea meaning “rainbow country.”

The KOICA Global Village is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. from Tuesday through Sunday.