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Late Tuesday, an awards ceremony took place in downtown Seoul, where a Korean singer and two world-class athletes took home meaningful awards for personal achievements that also served to promote the image of Korea in the international arena.
Already known for its abundant mobile phone and car industry, a local organization is working to further promote the image of Korea by acknowledging the efforts of established Koreans worldwide.
The Corea Image Communication Institute has held this yearly ceremony since 2005, selecting laureates by conducting a local survey and getting the opinions of foreign advisors. The head organizer of the event says the award holds great significance for locals and for Korea globally.
This year, global pop star Rain was given the Stepping Stone award, the top award for promoting Korea's image across the world. Rain's name has become a proper noun in many cultures, which was proven when he made Time magazine's list of the 100 Most Influential People of 2007.
When asked who the award brought to mind, Rain mentioned his mother. ''I'm reminded of my mother when I receive awards. This award is more valuable to me than any other award I've received abroad. This is a great honor," he said.
World-class swimmer Park Tae-hwan and figure-skater Kim Yu-na were awarded the Early Youth award for bringing home golds from world-class athletics championships. Due to injuries and rehab, Kim Yu-na did not attend the ceremony, but Park took the spotlight.
Aside from the awards part of the ceremony, there was plenty for the guests to see including an auction where such things as previous award-winner Maestro Chung Myung-whun's handmade baton and package trips to the Beijing Olympics and Dubai were sold.
The attendees also had a peek at the no. 1 box-office show at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, B-boy performance, "Picnic," on stage.
The top prize was previously given to internationally established Koreans such as Maestro Chung, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, and Cheonggyecheon, the creek flowing through the city of Seoul, which then-mayor Lee Myung-bak received.
The Corea Image Communication Institute hopes the yearly event will create a hefty list of laureates as it would mean more Korean icons for locals to look up to in today's global society.
Arirang News
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