1. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs held an event to announce the results of the 2017 Public Diplomacy Programs of Korean Citizens at the National Museum of Korea on October 30. The event was attended by about 100 public diplomats and young public diplomats. The group of public diplomats, which includes office workers and people working in the culture and art sector, and the group of young public diplomats, who are undergraduate students, announced the results of the programs they had carried out, and informed participants of the details of their activities through a public diplomacy concert.

2. The public diplomats held a launching ceremony on March 10, and began to conduct projects assigned to each group in May. They have played their roles as “public diplomats,” including promoting the charming aspects of the ROK among foreigners at home and abroad, and encouraging Koreans to pay more attention to public diplomacy.

3. The event, where public diplomats’ activities and achievements were reviewed, served as an opportunity for participants to share their experience, and helped young public diplomats benchmark public diplomacy activities of senior members of the group. The results of the event could also be drawn upon in setting the directions of future Public Diplomacy Programs of Korean Citizens.

4. In particular, the event was an opportunity to learn about various meaningful activities by “So, Go!,” which performed Nongak, inscribed on UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, at public squares and festivals in Europe; “Traveling Camera,” which provided education on photography to Syrian refugee children and Nepalese children affected by earthquakes; and “Diplomats' Choir,” which staged a “night of Korean classical songs” event.

5. At the public diplomacy concert held at Theater YONG, five teams consisting of public diplomats presented various genres of performance, including Nongak, jazz and classical music ensemble.

6. The Foreign Ministry is carrying out a variety of public diplomacy programs where Korean citizens play leading roles. The Ministry will continue to actively pursue cultural diplomacy in which Korean people’s creative ideas are reflected.


* unofficial translation