By Honorary Reporter Eftychia Dovletoglou from Greece

Photos = Hong Kilju, Kim Eunhee 

Korea.net used to have one coordinator for its Honorary Reporters program. As the number of such reporters rose and the program gained attention worldwide, the need for a second staff member quickly arose. 

To learn more about the program behind the scenes, this written interview from Dec. 18-20 was one with Honorary Reporters coordinators Kim Eunhee (Enny) and Hong Kilju (Kal), the excerpts of which are below.

The monthly mission is new to the Honorary Reporters program this year. What goes into the selection of the topic and how would you evaluate the mission so far?
Enny: Me and Kal discuss topics two to three weeks before the monthly mission begins. We usually bring up ideas from the main issue or theme of the month. Proceeding with the mission is hard, but we feel grateful when getting the submissions. We're preparing a plan for 2022 featuring more interesting and diverse missions. So we hope for the active participation of Honorary Reporters in the new year, too.

Kal: Enny and I started planning for the missions right after the inauguration ceremony in May. It takes nearly three weeks to decide on the plan. We have to think about issues and plan the rewards, monthly schedule and ways to present our valuable projects to the public. We try to feature the seasonal vibe and important holidays of each month. For example, I added creative descriptions such as turning "Write about your dream summer vacation" into "Create a travel brochure of your dream summer vacation." My satisfaction was enormous, though I felt terrible over being unable to make a public exhibition of all works of our Honorary Reporters.

Why did you have as a monthly mission topic a national holiday in an Honorary Reporter's country.

Enny: We try to connect Korea with other countries, and I think the most important thing for our program is to form a network through global communication. That's why we chose as a monthly mission topic the independence days in the homelands of Honorary Reporters.

Kal: The Honorary Reporters program has a greater goal than simply promoting Korea. We seek a global community that can embrace each country. The director of our division, Park Byung-gyu, wants the program to serve as a model for raising awareness of global issues, like the recent wildfires in Turkey.

I often hear Honorary Reporters say they discovered hidden talents through this program. Did you experience the same?
Enny: I've also found my talent through the program. I learned how to edit articles and photos. I'm gotten very good at making a proper thumbnail, so maybe this was my hidden talent.

Kal: I've raised by creativity and developed art skills since I started making the daily life clip, drawing illustrations and uploading pictures of us. Preparing workshops is also helping me bring out talent in others. As I advise Honorary Reporters for workshops, I gain knowledge on these issues and develop critical thinking skills. I've also discovered that I can accurately convey words and guide others to find their best selves.

What advice would you give to Honorary Reporters to improve?
Enny: Many Honorary Reporters don't know the proper form of an article, and so they need to learn this and check grammar. A workshop next year will cover this, so I hope those who participate get useful information.

Kal: An Honorary Reporter should recheck grammar before submitting the article. Also, writing about a Korea-related experience is far better than simply conveying information anyone can find on the internet. And using high quality photos taken by the writer increases the chances of catching our eye.

kalhong617@korea.kr

*This article is written by a Korea.net Honorary Reporter. Our group of Honorary Reporters are from all around the world, and they share with Korea.net their love and passion for all things Korean.