From YouTuber to newspaper columnist, 18 foreign residents become honorary Seoul citizens

Seoul City Government's Administrative Deputy-Mayor Kim Eui-seung, eighth from right, stands with 18 foreign residents of the capital who were awarded at the Seoul Honorary Citizenship Ceremony, held at city hall on Friday / Courtesy of Seoul Metropolitan Government

By Ko Dong-hwan

• Published Dec 11, 2022 4:56 PM KST
• Updated Dec 13, 2022 10:57 AM KST

By Ko Dong-hwan

Eighteen foreign residents of Seoul, who lived in the capital for years and made significant contributions to the city, have been chosen as honorary citizens this year.

The International Cooperation Department under the city government's Economy and Employment Planning Bureau said Sunday that the winners come from 16 countries and have helped to raise the city's global image in various fields, including culture, economy, science and technology.

Gupta “Lucky” Abhishek, a funnyman from India who became popular on TV and YouTube for his fluent Korean and jokes, was recognized for promoting Seoul to the world both through online and offline platforms and through charity work for kids living in poverty.

Casey Lartigue Jr., an American who's been running an English-language institute for North Korean defectors for a decade and is also a columnist for The Korea Times, Lama Kunsang Dorje, a Nepalese who donated 200-300 kilograms of rice to migrants in the city each month, and Aiyano Imatitikua and Barai Hasi Rani from Nigeria and Bangladesh, respectively, who proposed various policies for multicultural families, were acknowledged for their efforts in helping people in socially vulnerable groups from outside the country.

Khaloud Alalawi from the UAE, who helped open a Korean cultural center in the Middle Eastern country in 2016, Nicolas Hazard from France, who directed notable cultural performances in conjunction with Korea, and Chiu Kuang Hsin from Taiwan, who cooked and offered without charge Chinese food to some 10,000 people residing in facilities for the physically disabled, seniors and children under institutional care, were also among those who were recognized.

Several winners were awarded for their contributions to the city's successful international businesses and for attracting investments from overseas. Francis Van Parys from Belgium, who works for American vaccine maker Cytiva, Tony Garrett from New Zealand, who chairs the country's chamber of commerce and industry in Korea, Dirk Oliver Lukat from Germany, who chairs the European Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Korea, and Moritz Peter Winkler from Germany, who has been a lawyer in Seoul for 16 years, were also among those who received the honor.

Khan Muhammad from Pakistan, who had earned a patent for his public safety technologies at Clarivate Analytics, was recognized for his scientific breakthrough.

At the award ceremony on Friday at Seoul City Hall, Mafo Laure from France, who had won the award last year, did a “pansori” performance (a Korean traditional form of musical storytelling). Kim Eui-seung, the city government's administrative deputy-mayor, said at the ceremony that the winners chose Seoul as their “second hometown and made the city proud.”

The award dates back to 1958 when the city started recognizing foreign nationals who had contributed to rebuilding the city after the 1950-53 Korean War. As of this year, a total of 895 people from 100 countries have been awarded honorary Seoul citizenship, including residents of the capital as well as presidents and diplomats from outside the country who visited the city. This year, the winners were selected among those who lived in the city for three years in a row or five years in total. They were then recommended by embassies or public institutes in the city, followed by the consent of the lawmakers in the city council.