Deputy Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Kong Hyungsik (left) on May 12 poses with Honorary Reporter Manuel Guthmann from Germany after giving the latter a certificate of appointment at the induction ceremony for this year's Honorary Reporter class at the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Seoul in the capital's Jongno-gu District.
By Margareth Theresia
Photos = Lee Jeongwoo
This year's class of 1,543 Korea.net Honorary Reporters from 106 countries has officially begun activities to promote Korea to the world.
The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism on May 12 hosted the induction ceremony at the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Seoul in the capital's Jongno-gu District.
Some 600 recruits took part in the ceremony on and offline under the slogan "Shape Your Korea!" The event featured the awarding of certificates of appointment, celebratory K-pop performances and exchanges between Honorary Reporters.
Foreign nationals based in Korea or overseas in the program promote the country through their own perspectives. They play the role of cultural bridge to spread Korea throughout the world through their articles and content.
Deputy Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Kong Hyungsik on May 12 delivers a congratulatory speech at the induction ceremony for this year's class of Honorary Reporters at the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Seoul in the city's Jongno-gu District.
This year, 3,647 people in 122 countries applied to join, of whom 1,543 from 106 were selected by the ministry based on understanding of Korean culture and article writing capacity.
Five more countries were represented this year compared to last year. Participants from Europe and Africa accounted for 51%, showing the expanded reach of Hallyu (Korean Wave) to regions beyond Asia.
"Korea is such a culturally rich country with so much to see," Manuel Guthmann from Germany said in a speech. "Good ideas always come to me whenever I think about what I would tell friends about Korea."
Joining the program in 2023, he was named an outstanding Honorary Reporter the next year.
Adam Hugo from France also described his connection with Korea, saying one of his closest friends was half-Korean.
"That curiosity brought me here and Korea has become the place where I've studied, worked, listened and grown," he said. "This is exactly the story I want to convey as an Honorary Reporter; it's not about how Korea looks but what it feels like to live here."
Two Honorary Reporters Ceren Polat and Roza Borak from this year's class on May 12 pose with their certificates of appointment at the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Seoul in the capital's Jongno-gu District.
Launched in 2011, Honorary Reporters marks its 16th anniversary this year. An estimated 19,000 people in the program have covered cultural events at home and overseas as well as themes related to Korea.
The best articles are posted on Korea.net, the government’s official multilingual portal, for readers around the world. Last year, 1,716 such stories were uploaded.
"Stories by Honorary Reporters are a valuable window of communication that conveys the true face of Korea," Deputy Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Kong Hyungsik said. "We hope that Korea grows closer and friendlier as a country to people around the world through the activities of our Honorary Reporters."
margareth@korea.kr
