On a rainy April day, a small group of distinguished foreign professors met with the Ministry of Foreign Affair’s public diplomacy team, including Ambassador for Public Diplomacy Park Enna.

They met at a museum in Seoul for a team building event with a taste of Korean culture and history, and then moved on to a nearby restaurant for dinner and a discussion.

The goal of this group is to harness the knowledge and experience of foreign professors who have lived and worked in Korea for many years to help the Ministry of Foreign Affairs brainstorm for new ideas and ways to improve outreach and public diplomacy programs.

The restaurant where the meeting was held is called Dol Dahm, which means rock wall in Korean. The same name was also chosen for this group of scholars and diplomats, as it serves as a metaphor for the goals and hopes of this undertaking. Traditional rock walls in Korea and elsewhere in East Asia begin by piling small rocks together and slowly building a bigger, lasting structure.

In the same way, we hope to start small and build a lasting relationship which can help improve Korea’s image and public diplomacy efforts. After all even the Great Wall of China began with a small rock wall and then after much effort and labor turned into one of the most recognizable structures in the world.

The professors come from different backgrounds and academic specialties, but all have lived and worked in Korea for an extended period of time and have studied or taught in multiple countries. Now they are volunteering their time and experience to help the Ministry of Foreign Affairs develop new ideas and improve existing outreach efforts and programs.

By bringing a fresh perspective, combined with extensive personal experience in Korea, we hope to get constructive criticism and new ideas to improve our work -- strengthening Korea’s image and helping to attract more interest abroad in learning about Korea as a country, along with its rich culture, language and heritage.

Ambassador Park shared a frank and productive discussion with the group, after introductions and sharing a meal together. She is an experienced career diplomat, one of the most senior female diplomats in Korea’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, having served multiple overseas tours in the United States, China, and other countries. She is hoping to focus on the younger generation, including foreign students in Korea, to ensure they have a positive experience in Korea during their studies and build long-term ties to this future generation of leaders and business people.

Hopefully this small event is the start of a long-term, mutually beneficial relationship which could help foreign professors to network and give back to the country many of them have called home for many years. Also, this is a way for them to provide feedback and suggestions to help the ministry’s public diplomacy efforts.

It was a pleasure participating in this first event of our “Rock Wall Club” and I hope it continues to grow into a great wall of friendship between Korea and foreigners alike. I would also like to extend a deep appreciation for the dedication of this group, who traveled from regional universities in Ulsan, Taejon and Yongin as well as Seoul to meet with us and share their thoughts and suggestions. In the near future, we hope to expand and diversify the group and continue to broaden the base of our wall of academic expertise. Plans are also underway for a longer workshop, likely in June.


By Brian Peterson

Brian Peterson is a US diplomat attached to the regional public diplomacy division of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. -- Ed.