Value context and insight. lkm@koreatimes.co.kr
PTPI Korea to celebrate 50th anniversary
PTPI Korea National Headquarters Chairwoman Kim Gil-youn will be recognized for her efforts in promoting humanitarian values in the country at the anniversary event in the 63 Square in Seoul, Thursday. / Courtesy of PTPI Korea National Headquarters
By Lee Kyung-min
By Lee Kyung-min
People to People International (PTPI) Korea National Headquarters will celebrate 50 years of activity today.
Some 500 dignitaries will participate in an event to mark the anniversary at the 63 Square in Seoul.
The event will also celebrate the publication of “50 Years of History of PTPI Korea,” which compiles many memorable moments of the group over the last half century here.
PTPI is a non-profit multinational organization established in 1956 by U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower to enhance international understanding and friendship through educational, cultural, and humanitarian activities. In Korea, the first chapter was set up in Chuncheon, Gangwon Province, in 1965.
The participants at today’s event include Mary Jean Eisenhower, granddaughter of the former U.S. president, who was also former CEO of PTPI; Bill Bland, interim CEO of PTPI; and former Korean Prime Minister Kim Jong-pil.
During the event, PTPI will award certificates of merit to PTPI Korea Chairwoman Kim Gil-youn and former chairman Hwang Kyeong-hwan to recognize their efforts in promoting humanitarian values in the country. A number of United Nations soldiers who were recommended by the Korea headquarters will also be given awards.
Chairwoman Kim, a fellow researcher at the National Strategy Institute and a Seokyeong University professor, said she hopes the organization will continue to play a key role in bringing people together.
“It is said that Korea is a society reluctant to actively embrace people with different looks, language or culture,” she said.
“However, I believe PTPI Korea has done a lot in dispelling such notions, making people more open toward others. I hope those values will continue to influence society beneficially,” she added.
The Korea headquarters has spearheaded social community services that best fit the needs of the different regions here. It holds annual event in Ulsan for foreign workers where many factories are located, as well as organizing marriage ceremonies for multiracial couples in Anyang, Gyeonggi Province.
It also holds Korea-U.S friendship day for military personnel and their families in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province, and provides opportunities for cultural exchanges between foreigners and Koreans in Daegu.
It also encourages students to participate in community service by organizing programs for the underprivileged and the elderly.
With the slogan “Peace through Understanding,” PTPI seeks to strengthen diplomatic relations among the countries by fostering cultural exchanges. Its regional headquarters are set up in more than 160 countries.
Korea has 32 community chapters across the nation and 37 university student chapters. More than 3,000 members take part in its many voluntary programs.