Journos get a glimpse of Seoul

Weekender

By OGIA MIAMEL
A TOTAL of 39 youths from Asia Pacific countries were given the opportunity of a lifetime to attend the Asian cultural young leaders’ camp in Seoul, South Korea.
The young leaders came from different backgrounds in the media industry, comprising bloggers, journalists from print, radio and TV, online marketing agencies and journalism students.
They came from Afghanistan, Australia,Bangladesh, Bhutan, Brunei,Cambodia, China, Fiji, India, Indonesia,Japan, Korea, Loas, Malaysia,Mongolia, Myanmar, Nepal, New Zealand,
Pakistan, Papua New Guinea,Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka andVietnam.
The meeting was held from Monday June 25-30 and was hosted by South Korea’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Korea Foundation, International Student Fellowship and Arirang TV.
Foreign Affairs cultural cooperation director Seung-hye Sun said the programme was designed to give young leaders an opportunity to share cultural experiences, broaden networks, and
work together to find a way of collaboration among themselves.
During the welcome dinner at Korean Hotel in the heart of Seoul, director general for cultural affairs Eun-Yong Lee said both the public and private sectors were actively promoting exchange
among the younger generations to deepen mutual understanding and friendship among future leaders.
According to Lee, Asia was one of the most dynamic regions in the world, having rapidly grown in significance but still with potential yet to be uncovered.
He said people-to-people exchange among Asian countries had been on the rise despite political tides and economic fluctuations.
They believed the camp would laythe groundwork for a brighter future.
The youths participated in a variety of activities during the week-long camp.
They also got to share their culture,knowledge and ideas, and in the end,it served as a precious opportunity for the young generation to foster a sense of mutual understanding and friendship among leaders of Asia’s next generation. Lee told the participants that the world was going through some profound changes in terms of global governance. He said the era of a newworld order was looming ahead and the world today evolved around soft power, such as IT, culture, and art etc . . . which contrasted with the hard power of the past which was represented by the economy, military and politics.
“What is clear is that soft power has an increasingly important role to play in shaping the international order, that is why we have invited leaders of the young generation, many of whom areinterested in new media and apt in its usage,” he said.
“We re-double our efforts in order to adapt to the whole new paradigm that is contributing to building a more effective and democratic global governance.”
On Monday June 26, the participants watched a presentation by Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology president Seung-Hyun Moon on South Korea’s digital diplomacy and new media and had a lecture on the fourth industrial revolution and Asia’s soft power. The 39 participants also did presentations on the new media usage and trends in their countries. Most of them highlighted that Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and other online media
platforms were the current trends of information sharing, news and information hub.
On day two, the team visited the Olympic Stadium (Apensia ski jumping centre) in PyeongChang, Gangwon province , located in the Taebaek mountains region. Next year’s winter Olympics will be hosted in this region.
They also visited two cultural heritage sites, and South Korea’s national treasure, the Ojukheon and Seongyojang Houses, located in Pyeongchang-Gangneung. Ojukheon was once the home of Sin Saimdang (1504-1551) who is the mother figure of Korea and mother to Yulgok Yi Yi (1536- 1584). Yi Yi was one of the key scholars and politicians of the Joseon Period of Korean history. These famous Korean national figures have their face featured on the 50,000 and 5000 Korean
won notes respectively.
Seongyojang House was the home of the Joseon Dynasty. It’s an upper class residence typical of its era and comprises several traditional houses. It remains today as it was when it was constructed
over 300 years ago.
On day three, a visit was made to Anmok beach, and the group also took part in a traditional Korean foodmaking experience. It also visited Woljeongsa Temple and Samsung Innovation
Museum.
On day four, the programme included a visit to the National Museum of Korea. The fun-filled week ended with a K-Pop performance in SM Town
Hologram Musical. Before departing for their various countries, a farewell dinner was hosted by the organising committee in Seoul Marina Club and Yacht.