By Kwon Mee-yoo
Staff reporter
You don’t have to be Brian Orser or Guus Hiddink to become an honorary citizen of Seoul ― the city also wants international residents who make contributions to the city in their daily life.
Last year, 16 foreigners were awarded honorary citizenship of Seoul.
Eric Swanson, general manager of the Millennium Seoul Hilton, is one of them. He is the son of Cho Chang-su, a Korean folklorist and curator of the Smithsonian who held a Korean exhibition there. Swanson served as a judge at the Seoul Tourism Awards in June 2009 and among other activities helps the unprivileged through the Korea Welfare Foundation.
“Being an honorary citizen of Seoul was quite meaningful for Swanson, as he obtained the citizenship of his mother’s country in a symbolic way,” We Sang-bok of Seoul City said.
Krishna Prasad Sitoula, who served as the chief of the Nepal tourism office in Korea for eight years, also became an honorary citizen of Seoul last year. He is known for assisting migrant workers from Nepal to settle in Seoul smoothly and has participated in the Seoul Friendship Fair since it was first held in 1996.
Guenter Reinke, president and CEO of Boehringer Ingelheim Korea, shows his affection for Korea by wearing a modernized hanbok, and his business card bears his Korean name of Ra In-gang. He is the first CEO of a multinational pharmaceutical company to be named an honorary citizen of Seoul. Reinke has been living in Seoul for 12 years and sponsors the Seoul Traditional Artist Awards.
“Foreign ambassadors make many of the recommendations. Foreign Chambers of Commerce and international community leaders also nominate prominent people from their spheres,” the official said.
“We are looking for foreigners who volunteer and make contributions to society in silence.”
The honorary citizenship system was introduced in 1958 and a total of 608 foreigners from 90 countries have been given the honor.
The president of an organization with 10 or more members or a group of more than 10 citizens can make recommendations. The city will review the nominations in July, finalize their selection in August and announce their decision in October.
Details on recommendations for honorary citizenship of Seoul are available at https://ilove.seoul.go.kr.