An international cultural forum in Seoul in late summer will assemble the world’s creative opinion leaders to discuss and promote Korean culture, while also inviting foreigners in Korea to take part in a visual contest.

The Culture Communication Forum, organized by the Corea Image Communications Institute, will be held on Aug. 29 at the Grand Hyatt Seoul, inviting five influential figures from the media, culture and arts sectors.

Unlike previous forums, where foreign opinion leaders spent several days experiencing various aspects of Korean culture here, the institute will organize a photography and video contest until July 14, where foreigners living in Korea, and Koreans who want to promote Korea's image abroad, can submit pictures or videos on the themes of “truly Korean identity” and “aspects of Korea I want to show to foreigners.”

The winners will be selected by a panel of experts and participate in the forum and reception in the evening, as well as have the chance to showcase their works at Gallery Mun at Dongdaemun Design Plaza in Seoul for a month in December. The reception will be attended by more than 300 people, including diplomats, politicians, entrepreneurs and journalists. 

Foreign citizens living in Korea and Koreans who want to promote Korea’s image can download the application form at www.coreaimage.org and email the form and their works to cici@coreaimage.org before the deadline.

In trying to be Asia’s equivalent of the TED conference and the World Economic Forum, the CCF has played an important role in invigorating discussions internationally about Korean culture, both traditional and popular. The first forum, dubbed “C20,” was launched on the sidelines of the 2010 G20 Seoul Summit, sponsored by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and Korean Culture and Information Service.

This year's event is organized by CICI, Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, Korean Culture and Information Service, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and The Diplomatic Missions accredited to the Republic of Korea.

By Joel Lee (joel@heraldcorp.com)