Jinseok chairman donates $10,000 to WCA

Park Myung-seok

By Chung Hyun-chae

Dr. Park Myung-seok, the chairman of Jinseok Company and a professor emeritus at Dankook University, has donated $10,000 (10 million won) to the World Communication Association (WCA).

Established in 1983 as an offshoot of the Communication Association of the Pacific (CAP), the WCA plays a pivotal role in improving communications between different cultures. It contributes to solving problems or conflicts between countries caused by a lack of mutual understanding.

“The purpose of my donation is to elevate and support the scholarly mission of the organization,” Park said.

He also said that the amount of donation could be increased depending on how many academic papers are submitted to the WCA.

This was not the first donation that Park has given to the WCA. In 2009 when the organization marked its 25th anniversary, Park established a scholarship to encourage hardworking and outstanding scholars who contribute to the advancement of the study of intercultural communication.

Park named the scholarship “Family of Myung-Seok Park Financial Awards for Outstanding Scholarship for WCA” after himself.

As one of four founding members of the CAP, which was founded in 1972, Dr. Park continued to establish similar international organizations in order to improve the study of intercultural communication both locally and abroad.

He founded the Korea Communication Association in 1972, and shortly later, the Pacific and Asian Communication Association (PACA), which encompasses the Pacific Rim area.

Park created the same type of scholarships for the two organizations as well.

“These financial awards have provided an important support for strengthening and enlivening the association,” Dr Lee Young-ok, secretary-general of the WCA, said.

Dr. Park’s good intentions are not limited to just scholarships. He is now focusing on his charity work by establishing a foundation called “Beautiful Community.”

“I would like to help people in need all around the world, especially poor and diseased children in Africa,” he said.