Tour promotes public diplomacy

The northeast pavilion of Hwaseong Fortress in Suwon
/ Photo by John Redmond

30 expats visit Hwaseong Fortress

By John Redmond

A group of 30 bloggers, photographers and foreign correspondents were guests of the Senior Public Diplomacy Group (SPDG) on a tour of Hwaseong Fortress in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, Saturday.

Led by tour leader Choi Ha-kyung, president of the SPDG, a nonprofit affiliated with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and chairman of the Korea Heritage Society, the visit was to promote the fortress ― listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1997 ― and to find out how people from overseas saw it.

After brief introductions on the bus trip from Seoul, the group's first destination was a visit to the buildings of the Haenggung Palace, including the site of the tomb of Prince Sado who was killed under orders from his father.

The tour members hiked mountain trails to the east section of the wall, continuing on a two-hour walk to the north wall before being given a chance to participate in some traditional archery practice.

Before an evening meal, professor, noted author and former president of the Royal Asiatic Society, David Mason, gave a brief lecture on the origins of the fortress, including how it became a white elephant, as advances in weapons technology meant it was never used.

The one-day tour was the latest in a continuing photo/essay contest ― the first installment took place at Namhansanseong Fortress on April 25 ― to uncover how foreigners see Korea.

It was also promoted as a forum to encourage the diverse assemblage of professionals in social media, as well as traditional print reporters, to meet and network.

"The meet-ups will culminate with awards for a selection of the best submissions by the new media aficionados at a special event hosted by SPDG and attended by an estimated 1,000 guests at the Korean Modern Museum in Yongsan in Seoul on Sep. 6," the group said in its press invitation.

"Korea is turning to expat bloggers and foreign correspondents based here in the country because of their knowledge about Korea and their unique insight as expat residents to find out how the world sees the country's cultural heritage sites."

Nowadays, many people get their news and information about Korea from Korea bloggers based here. In fact, some English-language blogs get more web traffic than the major print publications.

It is common to see quotes from local blogs in international publications, such as the Washington Post, the New York Times and BBC.

The SPDG was established by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs as part of the Center for Public Diplomacy in June 2012. The group is aimed at raising the public's awareness of Korea. It is comprised of 20 "public diplomats" with considerable experience and standing in the community.

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