2011 CICI image award winners announced

By Ines Min

Incheon International Airport has won the Korea Image Stepping Stone Award, the Corea Image Communication Institute (CICI) has announced.

CICI Korea 2011, in its seventh year, will also award Guy Sorman and the U-17 women’s national football team with accolades.

Headed by Choi Jung-hwa, CICI seeks to promote Korea globally and has previously awarded its highest honor to celebrity Rain, U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and Cheonggye Stream.

``Incheon International Airport was selected as the winner of the Korea Image Stepping Stone Award because it has raised Korea’s image and the national brand by winning

world acknowledgement over the past five years,’’ president Choi said in a statement. ``It’s distinguished service has connected Korea to the world as a gateway, through change and reform.’’

Scholar Guy Sorman was selected as the winner of the Korea Image Stepping Stone Bridge Award for shedding light on Korea through his ``constructive criticism and counsel’’ as well as his activities in the media, Choi said.

The Korean U-17 women’s team was chosen for its success at the U-17 FIFA World Cup as the winners of the Korea Image Budding Youth Award, for winning Korea’s first title at a FIFA competition. The team ``moved the nation’s people as one’’ with their emotional success, Choi said.

The awards will be presented at a ceremony on Jan. 19 at the Grand Intercontinental Seoul. Former Prime Minister Han Seung-soo will be in attendance, along with a variety of ambassadors and other invited guests.

Pianist Cho Seung-jin will perform as will a musical piece conducted by decorated maestro Chung Myung-whun, also a former winner of the Stepping Stone Award.