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Ambassadors Help to Enhance International Exchange

The Korea Foundation invited the heads of Korea’s diplomatic missions abroad to a breakfast meeting, held on February 11 at the Lotte Hotel in Seoul. The meeting served as a timely occasion to strengthen the cooperative relations between the Korean diplomatic missions worldwide and the Foundation, in regard to the efforts to advance Korea’s public diplomacy endeavors.



The recent breakfast meeting, hosted by the Korea Foundation, was scheduled to coincide with the annual gathering of Korea’s diplomatic corps, which regularly visit Seoul early in the year to consult with senior officials of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MOFAT). At the invitation of Foundation President Yim Sung-joon, this year’s session included the attendance of Director- General Jo Dae-shik of the Cultural Affairs Bureau, MOFAT; the heads of Korea’s diplomatic missions in 88 countries, including the ambassadors to Indonesia, the Philippines, and the OECD; and nine ambassadors and advisors of international relations from the municipal governments along with the directors and staff of the Foundation’s relevant departments.

Exchange of Ideas
With the Foundation being at the forefront of Korea’s efforts to promote cooperative relations with the international community through the implementation of cultural and personnel exchange, it is necessary for the Korean diplomatic missions abroad to be well informed about the Foundation’s various activities so that the embassy and consulate staff can render more effective assistance. In addition, the Foundation officials rely on the input and advice from the diplomatic corps posted abroad to avoid potential problem areas and implement their programs more smoothly. Accordingly, in recent years, the Foundation has been regularly meeting with the heads of Korean embassies around the world, in order to present an overview of the Foundation’s priority initiatives and to maintain clear channels of communication between the two sides.
In his welcoming remarks, Korea Foundation President Yim Sung-joon emphasized the growing importance of public diplomacy to further build up Korea’s soft power. Although he completes his term of office at the end of this February, President Yim was greatly pleased with the Foundation’s various successes over the past three years, which would not have been possible without the invaluable assistance of Korea’s diplomatic missions and their staff. To maintain this favorable momentum, he called on the ambassadors to continue their active interest and support for the Foundation’s programs. Thereafter, the heads of Korea’s diplomatic missions expressed thei r thoughts on the Foundation’s activities, along with offering various suggestions for the Foundation management to carefully consider, such as additional efforts to introduce Korean culture to the regions and countries that have had only limited interaction with Korea thus far, and to support the dispatch of more Korean language instructors to enhance bilateral cooperation with Korea’s new partner countries. Other recommendations included the Foundation’s support for Korean language education at the high school level and the expanded distribution of “Korean Wave” content, like the popular TV drama “Daejanggeum” (Jewel in the Palace).



Global Friendship and Understanding
There was also a briefing by President Chung Sang-ki, of the National Institute for International Education, who explained his organization’s efforts to promote its revised Global Korean Scholarship program. In addition, Jo Dae-shik, Director-General for Cultural Affairs (MOFAT) provided an overview of the “Cultural Diplomacy Manual,” which has recently been published by the ministry, and encouraged the diplomatic officials to put forth their utmost efforts to help assure the successful implementation of the Korea Foundation’s various programs.
Korea’s diplomatic missions are uniquely positioned to acquire timely information about the local circumstances of their countries and to develop working relations with domestic figures and organizations. As such, the diplomatic missions and staff are key partners of the Foundation, in regard to the joint endeavors to promote international understanding, friendship, and cooperative relations.

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