The Corea Image Communication Institute will host its annual Culture Communication Forum this summer, inviting 16 cultural leaders to participate.

The institute holds the forum, in its fifth edition this year, to boost the understanding and knowledge of the nation’s culture and image worldwide.

The delegates, representing 15 G20 foreign countries along with the host, are from France, Russia, Canada, the U.S., Germany, Korea, Australia, the U.K., India, Indonesia, China, Italy, Turkey, Mexico, Japan and Brazil.

This year’s forum, running from Aug. 31-Sept. 2, will offer the invited delegates a number of opportunities to experience and learn about various aspects of Korean culture.

Among the delegates are Catherine Chevillot, director of the Rodin Museum in France; Denis Simard, president of the Quebec Winter Carnival; German journalist Caroline Mohring, known for her cutting-edge reports on post-Berlin Germany; and Chinese performer Shi Yihon from the Peking Opera.
After attending a night tour of Changdeokgung Palace on Aug. 31, they will meet the next day with renowned Korean calligrapher Kang Byung-in to experience the art of Korean calligraphy at the Korea Craft & Design Foundation.

They will also visit the Hyundai Card headquarters to gain a better understanding of Korean corporate culture, and look around Hyundai Card Design Lab, designed by French architect Jean Nouvel.

On Sept. 2, the participants and panelists will hold a discussion session titled “Culture ― Mirror and Trigger of Change.” The forum will come to a close with a gala dinner attended by 300 opinion leaders.

“I hope that this year’s forum will provide cultural leaders from around the world with an opportunity to experience Korean culture and communicate with one another about their cultures,” said CICI president Choi Jung-hwa. “I hope that South Korea will be able to enhance its brand image through the CCF.”

The CICI is an organization that strives to promote Korea and Korean culture on a global scale. The institution organizes international events and annually honors people, events and landmarks that are considered to promote a positive national brand image.

By Sohn Ji-young (jiyoung.sohn@heraldcorp.com)