VANK has partnered with the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism (MCST) to correctly promote K-Culture and Korean history to global audiences.
On March 27, 2023, at the Culture Station Seoul 284 in Jung-gu, Seoul, VANK signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with MCST.
With over 160 million global Hallyu fans and a growing enthusiasm for K-pop, K-dramas, and other K-content, the global fascination with Korean culture is undeniable. However, Korean history and culture remain relatively underrepresented and often misunderstood.
Both VANK and MCST and recognize this issue and are taking steps to address it. They will collaborate on initiatives aimed at presenting K-Culture and Korean history in more engaging and creative ways for Hallyu fans and the broader international community.
As part of this effort, they will create bilingual (Korean and English) materials that easily explain aspects of traditional Korean culture, such as Hanbok, Hangeul, Kimchi, Taekwondo, traditional music, and dance. These materials will be distributed to over 26,000 global Korean cultural ambassadors from VANK and 7,000 overseas cultural activists from the Korea Foundation for International Cultural Exchange (KOCIS), including honorary reporters and K-Influencers. The goal is to ensure that Korea’s culture and history are accurately and widely shared worldwide.
Efforts will also be made to correct misinformation about Korean culture. The two organizations will focus on identifying and addressing inaccuracies in the information provided by major museums and cultural institutions abroad regarding Korea.
Additionally, collaboration will extend to 33 Korean Cultural Centers in 28 countries, 32 overseas branches of the Korea Tourism Organization in 22 countries, and 10 overseas business centers of the Korea Content Agency in nine countries to further promote K-Culture.
Yoon Seong-cheon, Director-General of the Cultural Arts Policy Bureau at MCST, commented, “The collaboration with VANK will be a crucial factor in spreading the charm of Korea’s unique culture, which is the foundation of K-content, to the world. With VANK’s 20 years of experience as a private diplomatic mission, this partnership will help elevate the global standing of K-Culture.”