I am an editorial writer at The Korea Times, focusing on foreign policy, North Korea and domestic politics. My key areas of interest include North Korea, foreign interference in elections, election integrity, cyberattacks and human rights. Prior to joining the Editorial Board, I served as both Politics Desk editor and Culture Desk editor. During my career, I have reported on the Presidential Office under the Lee Myung-bak administration, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the National Assembly.
Croatia honors CJ vice chairwoman
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Croatian Parliamentary Speaker Josip Leko
By Kang Hyun-kyung
CJ Group Vice Chairwoman Lee Mi-kyung
By Kang Hyun-kyung
Croatia has awarded a medal to CJ Group vice chairwoman Lee Mi-kyung for her contributions to tourism as well as Croatia’s economy.
On Tuesday, at CK Group headquarters in Seoul, visiting Croatian Parliamentary Speaker Josip Leko gave the Order of the Croatian Star to Lee on behalf of his government. Lee is the first Korean to win the highest recognition from the Croatian government.
Croatia honored the business leader because Korean tourists to Croatia have been sharply increasing this year after cable network tvN’s popular reality show “Sisters Over Flowers,” which aired in Croatia from November 2013 to January this year, featured scenic views of the country. CJ Group owns tvN.
In each episode, four middle-aged actresses discovered tourist attractions while making backpack trips to several Croatian cities, including Zagreb and Dubrovnik.
The reality show had a real impact on tourism to the small European country.
In 2012, nearly 50,000 Koreans visited Croatia .Last year the figure climbed to about 70,000. This year, the figure rose to 147,000 from February to July.
In Croatia, Koreans are the second fastest-growing foreign tourists, after Brazilians.
Leko said he was grateful for Koreans’ deep interest in his country, and said Lee played a significant role in this.
“Vice chairwoman Lee contributed a lot to tourism and the economy,” Leko told The Korea Times at the Lotte Hotel in Seoul on Monday. “We, the Croatian government, hope that Koreans’ increased interest in tourism in Croatia can ultimately lead to Korean companies’ investment in Croatia’s tourism industry of Croatia.”
Leko said he had not seen the TV show, but hoped to do so soon.
“I was told that in the episodes, Croatia was depicted as an attractive tourist destination featuring the beautiful landscape, and this is a very good thing for us,” he said.
“Sisters Over Flowers” had become popular immediately after the first episode aired on Nov. 29 last year. The highest viewer rating was about 10 percent, which is very high considering tvN is not a mainstream broadcaster.
The show created a new trend. Before the show, Croatia was a popular country for young Korean backpackers. But after the show, middle-aged women who were fans of “Sisters Over Flowers” flocked to Croatia to explore several sites to which the actresses travelled.
Leko arrived in Seoul on Monday for a three-day visit. He met National Assembly Speaker Chung Ui-hwa later in the day to discuss ways to expand parliamentary exchange programs.
He led a political and business delegation of four politicians and seven business leaders.
On Tuesday, Korean business leaders held a forum with the visiting Croatian delegates in Seoul to seek possible opportunities.
Among other areas, Leko said he hoped the countries could forge strong partnerships in shipbuilding, energy and tourism.