On January 23, 2025, the Voluntary Agency Network of Korea (VANK) and the Korea Heritage Service’s International Heritage Cooperation Division held a seminar at the Korea Culture Foundation conference room in Seoul. The event aimed to explore effective global promotion strategies for Korea’s national heritage through public-private collaboration.

The seminar opened with a presentation by Kwon So-young, a researcher at VANK, who introduced key initiatives such as the “Korea Promotion Ambassador Training Project,” the national policy platforms ‘Woollim’ and ‘Yeollim,’ and the ongoing collaboration between VANK and the Korea Heritage Service. VANK researchers also proposed innovative global promotion ideas, which were refined through feedback from government officials.

Kwon So-young highlighted VANK’s efforts to train digital and metaverse diplomats in partnership with major government agencies like the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism. “Our goal is to establish Korea as the center of Asia and a gateway to Northeast Asia, sharing dreams and friendships worldwide,” she stated.

The ‘Woollim’ platform enables citizens to contribute to policy discussions in history, culture, and tourism, fostering active public engagement. Meanwhile, ‘Yeollim,’ set to launch in March, will serve as a communication hub between government agencies and citizens. “Through ‘Yeollim,’ the public will better understand government policies, and the government can improve them based on citizen feedback,” she explained.

Youth Researcher Seong Hye-seung proposed using ‘Yeollim’ to enhance the visibility of Korea’s cultural ODA (Official Development Assistance) projects, which support the preservation and restoration of heritage sites in developing nations. “By integrating these efforts into ‘Yeollim,’ we can foster greater public awareness and engagement,” she noted.

Park Ki-tae, Head of VANK, emphasized the importance of this initiative: “Promoting Korea’s cultural ODA efforts through ‘Yeollim’ will not only introduce Korea but also advance a new era of two-way cultural exchange with Hallyu’s global audience of 200 million.”

Another proposal by researcher Koo Seung-hyun focused on launching a global digital campaign to reclaim looted cultural assets, positioning Korea as a leader among former colonies in advocating for cultural restitution. American youth researcher Keziah Yoo highlighted inaccuracies in UNESCO records, such as mislabeling Korea’s ‘Pungmulnori’ as ‘China’s Korean Farmer’s Dance,’ stressing the urgency of rectifying these errors.

Alex, an Indonesian youth researcher, emphasized the significance of global cooperation in recovering looted heritage. “This campaign will be a crucial step in fostering international collaboration for cultural heritage protection,” he said.

As the seminar concluded, Park Ki-tae, Head of VANK, underscored the importance of regular strategic meetings, stating, “By incorporating Korea Heritage Administration content into ‘Yeollim,’ we can significantly enhance global awareness of Korea’s heritage.” Park Hyung-bin, Director of International Heritage Cooperation Division, echoed this sentiment: “Leveraging VANK’s platforms will help share our heritage policies with the public and improve them through active collaboration.”

Moving forward, VANK and the Korea Heritage Service plan to hold quarterly strategy seminars and utilize ‘Yeollim’ to further amplify Korea’s cultural diplomacy. With these efforts, VANK aims to pioneer a new wave of ‘K-Policy Hallyu,’ bringing Korea’s governance model to the global stage.