By Honorary Reporter Maulia Resta Mardaningtias from Indonesia

Photos = Maulia Resta Mardaningtias

Korea.net on Nov. 21 announced its awards for its best Honorary Reporters (HRs) of the year, including two from Indonesia: Binar Candra Auni (Best Honorary Reporter of the Indonesian-language section) and Monthi Rosselini (Special Honorary Reporter).

For this occasion, I interviewed both of them that day via email to share their thoughts and tips for the Indonesian HR community. Below are excerpts from the interview.

Binar Candra Auni (left) from Indonesia on Nov. 21 was named Korea.net's Best Honorary Reporter for the Indonesian-language section and compatriot Monthi Rosselini Special Honorary Reporter.

Briefly introduce yourself.

Auni: I am a Korean-language teacher and translator and an Honorary Reporter for Korea.net. My hobbies are reading, writing and Korean culture. I first joined Honorary Reporters in 2020 and rejoined this year. Apart from being a forum for channeling hobbies, this program through writing articles provides an opportunity to share news, stories and experiences to readers worldwide.

Rosselini: In addition to being an Honorary Reporter, I work as a freelance photographer and teach arts and crafts. I grew interested in Korean culture after participating in a cultural program in 2020 in Korea. I decided to join Honorary Reporters last year per a friend's recommendation.

How did you contribute to the community this year?
Auni: Just like other members, I support cultural exchange between Korea and Indonesia, share stories and network with other members. In September this year, I had the honor of sharing tips on article writing at the Korea.net workshop for HRs in the Indonesian-language section.

Rosselini: I've contributed over the past two years by writing 48 articles on Korea, with 22 published in the English- and Indonesian-language sections of Korea.net. I was also grateful to be invited to speak at a global HR workshop last year and another for the Indonesian-language section in September this year.

This is a collage of screenshots of Monthi Rosselini’s articles published on Korea.net's English- and Indonesian-language sections.

How do you feel about receiving your awards?

Auni: I thank the Korea.net team for its appreciation and my HR colleagues for their support. I've visited Korea before but this trip (sponsored by Korea.net for top awardees per language section) will be more special because I'll meet HRs from other countries. I also want to see how Korean tourism has survived and been reopened after the COVID-19 pandemic.

Rosselini: I'm honored to receive the HR Special Award and pleased over the launch this year of Korea.net's Indonesian-language section. This award was possible through the support of global HRs and Indonesian friends, as well as the managers at Korea.net.

What tips do you advise for other Honorary Reporters?

Auni: Honorary Reporters at a Korea.net orientation in May this year received training on general and technical guidelines for writing articles. I also previously mentioned training for the Indonesian-language section and that should be enough for tips for HRs. I also suggest practice and evaluation to build skills that come in handy when colleagues are in HR roles.

Rosselini: I advise reading good articles by other HRs whether on the English- or Indonesian-language site to explore interesting themes and good writing, taking part in HR workshops, and teaming up with other HRs to raise networking skills and broaden knowledge of Korea from more perspectives.

What do you hope for the Indonesian community of Honorary Reporters?
Rosselini: I hope for more participation in online and offline activities organized by Korea.net, the Korean Cultural Center in Jakarta and other Korean public agencies to find more topics to write about. I also hope fellow HRs can support one another to create a positive and fun atmosphere.

Auni: I hope that the Indonesian HR community produces more interesting and informative articles and for more collaboration and networking opportunities among HRs from Indonesia.

This is one of the official posters of the K-wave Festival slated for Dec. 10 at the Korea International Exhibition Center, or KINTEX. 

Ten Honorary Reporters among this year's award winners from each language section including Auni will visit Korea from Dec. 10-17 courtesy of Korea.net. They will attend on Dec. 10 the K-wave Festival: Gateway to Korea hosted by the Korean Culture and Information Service at the Korea International Exhibition Center, aka KINTEX, in Ilsan, Gyeonggi-do Province. 

Korea.net will livestream the event on YouTube, starting with the awards ceremony for HRs on Dec. 10 at 11 a.m. Korean Standard Time.

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.