By Do Je-hae
A major forum will be held in Seoul next month to discuss the global promotion of Korean culture, the Corea Image Communication Institute (CICI) said Thursday.
The CICI will organize the Culture Communication Forum (CCF), inviting renowned experts in food, music, fashion and media from various countries. The event will take place Sept. 4-6 at famous cultural spots throughout the nation’s capital.
“The CCF is an occasion for global leaders to get a close experience of Korean culture and for Korea to learn about the countries of the participants,” CICI President Choi Jung-wha said in a statement. “It will provide a regular platform for overseas Korea promotion.”
A renowned interpreter of French, Choi serves as a professor of interpretation and translation at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies.
The CCF is expected to carry on the success of the C20 (Culture 20) meeting, a side event of the G20 Summit held last year in Korea.
Notable participants of the CCF include Willy Bogner, head of the Bogner clothing brand; Leslie Koch, president of the Governors Island Preservation and Education Corporation (GIPEC) based in New York; Tian Wei, CCTV anchor; Farzana Contractor, editor of food magazine Upper Crust India; photographer Joao Paulo Barbosa; and Sugiura Takao, renowned chef and expert in promoting Japanese food.
Chung Myung-whun, music director of the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra, will be taking part in the event as well. As a pioneering Asian conductor and pianist, the musician has extended arduous efforts to elevate Korea’s cultural status.
Highlights of the CCF include Korean traditional performance “Miso,” visits to Changdeok Palace and Leeum, Samsung Museum of Art, and Korean traditional restaurants. The main forum will be held Sept. 6, with a focus on discussing the competitiveness of Korea’s popular culture, followed by a closing gala at the Westin Chosun Hotel in Seoul.
In addition, a Korean food promotion event will be held at the five-star Taj Group hotels in Mumbai and New Delhi from Sept. 11 to 25, organized jointly by the CICI the Korea Tourism Organization.
More information can be found on the CICI website at www.coreaimage.org.
The CCF will be held in cooperation with culture and foreign ministries and sponsored by various corporations, including Samsung Electronics, Asiana Airlines and KB Financial Group, among others.
Founded in 2003, CICI has brought together experts to brainstorm innovative methods to promote Korea.
Among its noteworthy achievements is the C20 held last September, two months ahead of the G20 Summit. The C20 invited cultural leaders from G20 member countries to Seoul for an educational program on Korea.