1. The Foreign Ministry and Korea National University of Arts (KNUA) held the launching ceremony of the support team for the second “Dream Project” at the KNUA on June 24.

2. The Dream Project is a public diplomacy project first held in 2013 that calls for dispatching cultural and art talent of the Republic of Korea to developing countries to offer art and other cultural classes free of charge. In 2014, a total of 42 people, including professors, will be dispatched to India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Laos and Myanmar from June through September.

° In consideration of the special diplomatic occasions this year, such as the ASEAN-ROK Commemorative Summit scheduled for late this year and the 25th anniversary of the ASEAN-ROK Dialogue Partnership, the number of partners for this year’s Dream Project has been expanded to include Myanmar and Laos.

2. The Dream Project is expected to help attain the incumbent government’s policy vision of “contributing to the happiness of the global village through cultural enrichment.” It is also expected to play a role in enhancing the ROK’s international standing as a cultural country and in fostering a Korea-friendly mood in the partner countries. The Foreign Ministry will continue expanding the number of its partner countries and the size of the support team for the Dream Project and exploring ways to more effectively share Korean culture with its developing countries.

* unofficial translation