Korea.net Honorary Reporter Alaa Atef Ebada from Egypt's "Choreographer-dancer discusses work shown at Ballet Festival Korea" was the most-read Honorary Reporters story in the third week of September. (Screen capture from Korea.net's English-language website)
By Hong Kilju and Kim Hayeon
Honorary Reporter Alaa Atef Ebada from Egypt's English-language article on the 11th Ballet Festival Korea held from June 15-30 was the most-read story among those by Honorary Reporters in the third week of September.
Second was an English-language article on the influence of BTS on the 76th United Nations General Assembly, and others in Arabic, English and Spanish rounded out the top five.
■ Choreographer-dancer discusses work shown at Ballet Festival Korea (Alaa Atef Ebada from Egypt in English)
This week's most-read story featured the annual Ballet Festival Korea, which marked its 11th anniversary this year. The 12 performances at the event focused on showing fresh moves and bringing ballet closer to the audience by incorporating classical ballet with modern dance.
Ebada interviewed choreographer-dancer Choi Soo-jin, who presented a work at the festival, on interpretations of her work. "In 'Register: The Beginning of the Beginning,' I wanted to design an expressive dance with pure Korean materials. I got a lot of inspiration from the stories of Oriental mythology," Choi said.
K-pop sensation BTS, designated special presidential envoy, attended the 76th U.N. General Assembly in New York with President Moon Jae-in. The band on Sept. 20 delivered a message of hope to youths worldwide amid the COVID-19 pandemic in a speech at the opening ceremony of the second Sustainable Development Goals Moment at U.N. headquarters in New York.
Dyson wrote about the impact of BTS, its appearance at the assembly and the atmosphere in New York during the event. She praised the group's role in its diplomatic mission, saying, "I feel that BTS' diplomatic appointment and first assignment will only raise the group's influence and bring new awareness to the U.N. among their fans."
President Moon Jae-in (fourth from left) on Sept. 14 poses with the seven members of BTS in a commemorative photo after the group's designation as special presidential envoy. (Yonhap News)
No. 3 was a piece in Arabic on the Global Korea Scholarship (GKS). The National Institute for International Education in Seoul every December announces the recipients of the government-sponsored GKS who will get KRW 7 million to KRW 12 million per semester.
In an interview, Lee Yong-hoon, a former official in charge of scholarships at the institute, gave useful tips and advice on getting the GKS. He advised applicants to develop skills in both Korean and English as they are the most important factors in the selection process. Lee also stressed the importance of expressing one's study goals and plans in a clear and consistent manner in documents like cover letters.
Lee Yong-hoon, a former director of scholarships at the National Institute for International Education in Seoul, discusses what criteria officials are looking for in selecting recipients of the Global Korea Scholarship. (Screen capture from Alaa Abdel Aty's YouTube channel)
■ Ambassador to Norway to raise bilateral ties to 'much higher point' (Cheryl Hagen, Mira Dahl Aspeli and Sidrah Shaheen from Norway in English)
An interview with Ambassador to Norway Kim Pil-woo took the fourth spot this week.
Starting his post in June, the diplomat said that after two months of living in Norway, it only convinced him that his preconceived image of the country was not misleading. He also pledged to raise bilateral ties to a "much higher point" by enhancing cooperation in sectors such as maritime transportation, shipbuilding, fisheries, Arctic issues, ICT (information and communications technology) and climate change.
Ambassador to Norway Kim Pil-woo (third from left) poses with interviewers (from left) Cheryl Hagen, Mira Aspeli and Sidrah Shaheen. (Sidrah Shaheen)
■ 10 leading foods for Chuseok (Romina Marin Vossenberg from Spain in Spanish)
No. 5 was an article on 10 dishes to eat on Chuseok (Korean Thanksgiving). The writer introduced traditional foods like songpyeon (half-moon-shaped rice cake), japchae (stir-fried glass noodles and vegetables), galbijjim (braised short ribs) and wanjajeon (pan-fried meat and tofu patties) and explained what each dish symbolizes.
Sixth to 10th are on the list are below.
9. Interview with Korean illustrator Wooni (Trinidad del Carmen Zenteno Delgado from Mexico in Spanish)
10. 11 songs on autumn nostalgia (Paola Paredes Lopez from Mexico in Spanish)
