KOICA’s global supporters conclude remarkable journey with grand finale show

KOICA President Chang Won-sam, front-row sixth from left, poses with WeKO members during an outcome-sharing event of KOICA's global supporters at its headquarters in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, Friday. Courtesy of KOICA

Global creators composed of Koreans and foreign nationals who promote the meaning and value of the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) concluded five months of activities to promote the outcomes and values of Korea's overseas assistance.

KOICA, an organization supporting sustainable socio-economic development in developing countries, said it held a finale show, Friday, at KOICA headquarters to share the outcomes of Global Supporters WeKO, international development cooperation and Official Development Assistance (ODA) through various content.

The content, produced in various languages targeting global citizens beyond Korea, attracted great attention at home and abroad with cumulative impressions surpassing 18 million.

Over the past five months, the 130-member WeKO produced 6,029 articles of content including card news and short-form videos to promote ODA and sustainable development goals (SDGs), which contribute to addressing global challenges such as poverty, inequality and climate change, in an easy and interesting way.

In particular, starting with the release of “ODA Song,” a global song with lyrics about a world united through ODA, WeKO created opportunities for cultural interaction where global citizens could embrace the values of inclusion and coexistence realized by ODA through various events such as the “Dance Challenge” and “Global Singing Competition.” Additionally, they conducted various online and offline campaigns, including a marathon to promote SDGs and the ODA FESTA to interact with the public in person.

WeKO also incorporated their ideas into the reorganization of “KOICA World,” a virtual reality metaverse space where individuals can visit schools and research institutions built by the Korean government in partner countries, contributing to the dissemination of ODA knowledge.

“I appreciate the work of WeKO as a global ambassador for Korea's ODA, which has spread the outcomes and values of Korea's overseas assistance program toward the world in a creative way,” KOICA President Chang Won-sam said.

“I ask for your continued interest in and support for Korea’s ODA programs to tackle global challenges such as poverty, climate change and conflict.”