Global Friends hosts 1st Global Peace Awards in celebration of 20th anniversary
Award recipients and organizers pose for a group photo after the Global Peace Awards ceremony at the Korea Press Center in Seoul. Among them are Global Friends President Choi Kyou-taek, front row fourth from right; Ven. Jin-o, third from right, recipient of the Global Friends Service Award; Moon Young-sook, fourth from left, recipient of the Choi Jae-hyung Award; and Yang Jung-in, third from left, also a recipient of the Global Friends Service Award. Courtesy of Global Friends
By Cho Jae-hyon
Awards honor war hero, independence activist advocate, marathon-running monk
Global Friends, a Seoul-based nonprofit known for its humble yet consistent acts of service, marked its 20th anniversary with the inaugural Global Peace Awards ceremony at the Korea Press Center in Seoul on Thursday.
Under the leadership of President Choi Kyou-taek, the organization presented awards in three categories: the Walton Walker Award, the Choi Jae-hyung Award and the Global Friends Service Award.
Founded on the principle of “doing small but necessary work,” Global Friends has spent two decades supporting marginalized communities in Korea and assisting with education and postwar recovery efforts in Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos.
Though modest in size — comprising fewer than 200 members — the group has maintained a spirit of sustained and heartfelt volunteerism, relying on small contributions from everyday citizens rather than large-scale funding.
The Walton Walker Award was posthumously awarded to U.S. Army Sergeant Kim Shin-woo, a Korean American medic who died in Iraq in 2007 at the age of 23 after throwing himself on a grenade to save his fellow soldiers. In 2017, the U.S. military honored his sacrifice by opening the Kim Shin-Woo Medical and Dental Clinic at U.S. Army Garrison Humphreys in Pyeongtaek — the first U.S. military facility in the world named after a Korean American soldier.
The Choi Jae-hyung Award went to Moon Young-sook, chairperson of the Choi Jae-hyung Commemoration Service Association. Moon has worked tirelessly to honor the legacy of independence activist Choi Jae-hyung — known for establishing schools and supporting anti-Japanese movements among Korean communities in early 20th-century Russia.
Moon has led education programs and scholarship initiatives for ethnic Koreans, established a memorial hall in cooperation with the Korean government.
The Global Friends Service Award was presented to Ven. Jin-o, chief monk of Mahaboudha Temple, renowned for his extreme-distance charity runs supporting marginalized people such as foreign laborers, migrant spouses and North Korean children.
Jin-o also founded the nonprofit Dream Builders and helped build 108 restrooms at a school in central Vietnam affected by war. In 2022, he received a presidential commendation on World Day for Cultural Diversity.
Also honored with the Global Friends Service Award was Yang Jung-in, chair of the Dasamo Volunteer Corps. Since founding the group in 2022, she has led grassroots efforts to support multicultural families on Jeju Island, organizing local festivals and charity bazaars to promote community integration.
Yang has provided essential goods to over 50 families and offered scholarships to children from diverse backgrounds. She also supports cultural education and career counseling for young people from Vietnamese and Cambodian families, helping strengthen multicultural understanding and inclusion.
Each award includes a cash prize of 2 million won ($1,440), with funds to be converted into local currency for recipients abroad. Global Friends continues to shine as a small but steadfast force for peace and service around the world.