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Korea Herald
13-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Korea Herald
Culture Communication Forum celebrates Korean culture's global appeal
Contest winners highlight emotional bonds, traditional arts as keys to K-culture's lasting influence "Jeong is not flashy, but it lasts. It can't be explained logically, yet it moves hearts," said Cui Meiling during her award-winning presentation at the Corea Image Communication Institute's annual Culture Communication Forum on Thursday. Cui, a Chinese student at Korea University, won first place in the event's Korean-language presentation section, where she singled out "jeong" — the uniquely Korean sense of deep emotional connection — as the most sustainable element of Korean culture. She drew from personal experience, recalling how a stranger offered her an umbrella on a rainy day. "The future of K-style isn't about glamor — it lies in the 'jeong' between people," she said at the Grand Hyatt Seoul venue. Cui won the grand prize with 21 out of 56 audience votes. This year's forum featured a content-based competition centered on 'sustainable K-style,' with participants offering creative interpretations of Korean culture through a sustainability lens. The contest ran for three months through May 30 and drew global entries across three categories: Korean-language presentations, long-form video and short-form video. Thursday's event featured four finalists in each category, with winners determined by live audience voting. Around 60 diplomats, business leaders and cultural figures were in attendance to participate in the vote and celebrate the growing global reach of Korean culture. Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology President Lee Kwang-hyung opened the ceremony by recognizing CICI's 22-year commitment to cultural exchange and praising Chair Choi Jung-hwa, whom he called Korea's 'civilian cultural foreign minister.' "Twenty years ago, we talked about a 'Korea discount.' Now we talk about a 'Korea premium,'" Lee said. "That transformation is driven by culture and the arts, supported by institutions like CICI." Italian Ambassador to Korea Emilia Gatto delivered congratulatory remarks in Korean, calling the forum "a precious opportunity to explore sustainable K-style through music, food, film, drama, art and beauty." "Korea has become a soft power powerhouse — and not the fleeting kind," she said. "It's important to reveal the rich history and values behind that soft power." In the long-form video category, China's Jiang Yi-ling won top honors for "K-Style, Building the Future," which explored eco-friendly fashion, recycling and sustainable tourism. The project earned 18 of 51 votes to secure a 3 million won ($ 2,200) prize package, including 1 million won in cash. Oh Sang-woo claimed first in the short-form video competition with 18 of 53 votes for his hand-drawn animation "K-Style: The More We Love, The More We Share!" that illustrates how collective engagement can spread Korean culture around the world. The award included 700,000 won in cash as part of a 2 million won prize package. Before the winners were announced, Japanese Ambassador Koichi Mizushima praised the contestants for their work. EU Ambassador Maria Castillo Fernandez noted that the participants had 'gone beyond the Korean language' with their 'outstanding' content. 'You are all ambassadors of Korean culture,' she added. The ceremony concluded with a pansori performance by Mafo Laure, who sang the "Flower Garden" segment from "Heungbo-ga." The Cameroon-born French artist, who previously performed at the Elysee Palace for former President Moon Jae-in and French President Emmanuel Macron in 2018, also placed second in the Korean-language contest with her pansori-focused presentation, earning 16 votes.
![[Photo News] Hansik Diplomacy](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwimg.heraldcorp.com%2Fnews%2Fcms%2F2025%2F03%2F27%2Fnews-p.v1.20250326.201ebcd9003444c491f00fb7ef1dfbb6_T1.jpg&w=3840&q=100)
Korea Herald
01-04-2025
- Business
- Korea Herald
[Photo News] Hansik Diplomacy
First row from left: Hong Tae-sun, architect and CEO of YKH Associates; Didier Beltoise, president of Cs; Eva Valle Lagares, European Commission, DG Trade, Head of Far East unit; Chung Hee-sun, forensic science professor at Sungkyunkwan University; Maria Castillo Fernandez, EU ambassador; Choi Jung-hwa, president of Corea Image Communication Institute; Han Yoon-ju, CEO of Congdu; Helen Kim, president of Estrella Int'l and second row from left: Ignacio Montojo Salazar, spouse of EU ambassador; Choi Jong-moon, former vice foreign minister and senior advisor at Yoon & Yang LLC; Marcello Lusuardi, president of Bosch Korea; Jacques Flies, Luxembourg ambassador; Paul Duclos, Peruvian ambassador; and Richard Choi, CEO of Spoqa pose for a picture at the European Union ambassador's residence in Seoul Tuesday. The attendees gathered for a special lecture titled "The Power of Harmony, Hansik," organized by CICI, to discuss how Korean cuisine has been a powerful tool for diplomacy. (CICI)
Korea Herald
19-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Korea Herald
Looking for next generation of K-style
CICI holds video contest on 'sustainable K-style' The Corea Image Communication Institute is holding contests on "sustainable K-style" as part of the 16th annual Culture Communication Forum slated for June 12. The contest aims to discover innovative and creative ideas related to K-style that could shape the next wave of Hallyu, according to the organization. The competition is open to both Koreans and foreign nationals residing in Korea. Applications should include ideas related to either music, food, film, drama, webtoons, art, architecture, fashion or beauty, and they can be submitted in one of two formats: a video or a lecture in Korean. For the video contest, participants must submit a one-minute short-form vertical video or a three-minute-long horizontal video with a preview image. Those applying for the Korean-language presentation competition must submit a three-minute presentation video in Korean, sharing their creative thoughts and insights on sustainable K-style, based on their experiences in Korea. Applications will be accepted from Thursday through 5 p.m. on May 30. Finalists will give their presentations during the upcoming CCF, and the winners will be announced at the event. Two winners will be chosen for each category. First-place winners will receive a prize of 3 million won ($2,067.82), while second-place winners will receive 2 million won, which includes cash and vouchers for luxury hotels.
Korea Herald
26-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Korea Herald
Architect Hong Tae-sun, composer of space
Hong compares architecture to music in CICI lecture at Eygptian ambassador's residence Some who have explored different fields in their career know how to create synergy by combining them together. Architect Hong Tae-sun is one such person, integrating music into his architectural practice. Hong, director of architecture firm YKH Associates, loves to play piano in his studio while reminiscing about how he badly wanted to be a pianist before he went to college. Hong, who ultimately became an architect after graduating from Yale's School of Architecture, relates architectural design to music. 'Architects and composers share common ground in terms of techniques of macro, micro, layering and repetition. Both need to know how to read a musical score or a blueprint. What differentiates them is that music is for sound and architecture is for space,' Hong said in a lecture delivered during a meeting organized by the Corea Image Communication Institute at the residence of the Egyptian Ambassador to Korea Khaled Abdel Rahman, Tuesday. The architect also stressed his pragmatic approach to architecture as a 'problem solver.' 'I think an architect is someone who solves problems, considering all different factors before they design a building,' he said. Hong is a fellow of the American Institute of Architects. He earned is BA from Oberlin College and Master of Architecture from Yale. Among his team's projects are the Hillmaru Country Club & Golf Hotel in Pocheon, Gyeonggi Province; the Sebyeol Brewery in Paju, Gyeonggi Province; and a 12-story building in Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul inspired by American minimalist artist Donald Judd. 'Anything you learned is not going away. It is within you,' he said. 'When you learn pieces, you never get there. It is like boiling water ― liquid until it gets to the point of becoming vapor.' Among the attendants at the CICI lecture were Egyptian Ambassador Khaled Abdel Rahman as the host of the event, Swiss Ambassador Dagmar Schmidt Tartagli, New Zealand Ambassador Dawn Bennet and EU Ambassador Maria Castillo Fernandez.
