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네이버 공유 카카오 공유 트위터 공유 페이스북 공유

‘Friends of Korea’ Night in Washington D.C.

The Korea Foundation Washington D.C. Office hosted a year-end get-together at a local Korean restaurant for those who had recently visited Korea as a guest of the Foundation (December 3, 2009). Of note, the attendance of “Friends of Korea” members made this gathering all the more meaningful and enjoyable.



Under the Korea Foundation’s Invitation Program, some 250 Americans visited Korea in 2009 alone (“Reunion in Korea for U.S. Peace Corps volunteers” and “Korea-U.S. Youth Network” programs). Of course, with these individuals residing in all areas of the U.S. it was not practical for a majority of this group to attend a dinner event in Washington, D.C. However, since the event coincided with a board meeting of the “Friends of Korea,” an organization of former U.S. Peace Corps members who had served in Korea, this enabled corps members from faraway states like Alaska and Maine to partake in the event.

Maintaining Ties with Korea
At the meeting room, there were display panels that featured photos of the participants’ visit to Korea, along with copies of Korea Foundation materials, such as the Korea Foundation Newsletter and KOREANA. After enjoying a variety of elaborately prepared Korean food, each of the participants, from all walks of life, including high school students, teachers of social studies, former Peace Corps members, and Korea specialists from the Washington D.C. area, introduced themselves and described their various experiences and ties to Korea and its people.
Most of the former Peace Corps members reminisced about memorable aspects of their service in Korea and now four-decade-long relations with the people of Korea, along with invariably expressing their utter amazement with Korea’s incredible development. Saying he owned a Hyundai auto because of his Korean sentiments, one participant highly praised Korea for its remarkable advancement and for inviting him to return to Korea, while also noting that young Koreans are now helping the people of developing countries.

Sharing Wonderful Memories of Korea
The accounts of Korea’s pre-modernization days were similar to the stories told by your grandparents. As for the high school students and teachers who were not personally familiar with Korea’s recent past, their impressions of Korea are mainly associated with the country’s advanced technology in the IT and automobile sectors. Of course, many were surprised with Korea’s zeal for education, which served as a cornerstone for its economic development, in addition to mentioning their admiration for the richness of Korean culture and history.
All of the participants, although most were meeting each other for the first time, naturally shared their thoughts and easily made new friends thanks to the camaraderie of their experiences, relations, and memories of Korea and its people. Indeed, it was a truly gratifying scene to see how strongly and positively these people felt toward Korea. And this might have been only a brief dinner event, but it undoubtedly did much to reinforce their relations with the Foundation and Korea.

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