The Korea Foundation organized the fifth Public Diplomacy Week events, both online and offline, starting from November 20, 2022 to enhance Koreans’ understanding of and interest in public diplomacy issues. On-site events continued to November 20 at the Dongdaemun Design Plaza (DDP) while online ones until through December at website www.pdweek.or.kr).
Hosted by the Korea Foundation, Korea’s leading public diplomacy organization, Public Diplomacy Week is a comprehensive program on which the Foundation concentrates all its capacity to share public diplomacy issues and current status with the Korean people. The keywords of this year’s Public Diplomacy Week, in its fifth year of operation, were “participation” and “the future.” Supported by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Korea, it was participated by about 30 international organizations and other relevant institutions at home and abroad, including foreign diplomatic missions in Seoul, the FAO Partnership and Liaison Office in the Republic of Korea, the British Council Korea, KOTRA and the Korea National University of Arts.
This year’s Public Diplomacy Week began with the showcasing of an extended reality (XR) work “Samul” by Korea National University of Arts in Korea for the first time in Korea along with a performance at 2:30 p.m. on November 18. The annual program also explored career opportunities in public diplomacy and presented future-oriented showcases utilizing metaverse and immersive digital technology, thereby suggesting a new direction for a new public diplomacy.
△ Exploring Career Opportunities in Public Diplomacy for the Next Generation of Global Leaders
The “Exploring Career Opportunities in Public Diplomacy” program has received favorable responses from the young people, aspiring to become a global leader. Various sessions for this year’s program included ▲ Information Session on Careers in International Organizations (Fri., Nov. 18, at 16:00) for those interested in becoming a Junior Professional Officer (JPO) or member of the United Nations Volunteers (UNV); ▲ KF Global Challenger and Global Academy Briefing Session (Sat., Nov. 19 at 13:30) to offer information on the KF Global Challenger program and share the former program participants’ experiences; and ▲ Global Expert’s Lecture on Career Exploration (Sat., Nov. 19 at 16:00) by Lee So-young from the Microsoft Global Influencer Team.
△ Sharing the Results of Participatory Public Diplomacy
Designed to share public diplomacy participants’ first-hand experiences in major public diplomacy activities, the “KF and Public Diplomacy” program included ▲ Presentation of Award-Winning Submissions for Contests Jointly Hosted by Public Diplomacy Academy and Partner Universities (Sat., Nov. 19 at 11:00); ▲ Korea Workshop Vlog Presentation (Sun., Nov. 20 at 10:00) in which foreign residents in Korea shared their experiences in Korea through vlogs they produced; and ▲ Korean Studies O/X Quiz (Sun., Nov. 20 at 16:30) created by KF Professors and KF Visiting Professors.
△ Presenting Public Diplomacy Showcase: KF Immersive Digital Showcase “Every Wall Is a Door”
The highlight of this year’s Public Diplomacy Week was KF Immersive Digital Showcase “Every Wall Is a Door” which examined the potential for exchange and solidarity beyond time and space, utilizing virtual reality (VR), immersive content and other highly advanced digital technologies. It featured ▲ Meeting a Virtual Reality under the title of “Tomorrow Together,” digital-based landmark sculpture installed at the Oullim Square, DDP, to express a vision of the future beyond nationalities by Our Labour, a young Korean creative group, which guided audiences to meet a virtual reality through graphics, installations, media and interactive augmented reality (AR) content; ▲ Entering and Creating a Virtual Reality at Art Hall 1 which enabled visitors to meet renowned figures in the diplomacy and media sectors through 3D hologram-based VR devices and to enter virtual spaces to make a gift for the world citizens in a world of extended reality (XR); and ▲ Communion without Borders at the Conference Hall in collaboration with the AT Lab of the Korea National University of Arts to show the universality of Korean culture through a new VR artwork “SAMUL” and an internationally acclaimed and upgraded immersive XR performance “Scarecrow AP” for the first time in Korea.
Other Public Diplomacy Digital Showcase programs included ▲ ROK-UK Climate Change Creative Project “Daily Rituals: Four Earths,” an exhibition with an artist talk organized jointly by the Korea Foundation and the British Council, Korea; ▲ Digital Showcase of Public Diplomacy Projects implemented by Koreans on climate change and cultural exchange; and ▲ Online and Metaverse Tour of Foreign Embassies in Seoul such as the Embassies of Ghana, Israel, Switzerland and Qatar.
△ Meeting with Global Influencers
On-site “Public Diplomacy Talks” and online “KF Gallery Exhibition Tour with Celebrities” provided participants with an opportunity to meet with various influencers at home and abroad. Such events included ▲ “Diaspora is the Future” (at DDP on Sun., Nov. 20 at 15:00) by Joseph Juhn, director of “Chosen,” a documentary on the stories of five Korean-Americans running for U.S. Congress which was released in early November in Korea; ▲ Talks with foreign influencers active in Korea including Julian Quintart from Belgium and Andreas Varsakopoulos from Greece; ▲ Performance by Seodo Band, pioneers of Joseon Pop; ▲ Performance by Jeong Uk-jae (Tune), member of the band “No Reply” singing the journey of Koreans in Central Asia; and ▲ Joint Performance by traditional Korean music singers Kim Yul-hee and Heo Yun-jeong and Israeli artist Ester Rada. Such diverse programs served as an occasion to communicate and share feelings with people around the world. Such diverse programs and events provided Koreans with an opportunity to enhance their understanding of and communicate with people around the world.
