On November 22, 2024, VANK and the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism (MCST) held a seminar to discuss strategies for effectively promoting Korea globally through public-private collaboration.

Key initiatives presented included the “Global Korean Ambassador Training Program,” aimed at training young Koreans to become ambassadors of Korea’s true history and culture. This program was launched in response to concerns about distorted representations of Korea in foreign textbooks, websites, and social media. By empowering youth to take the lead in promoting accurate information, VANK aims to correct misconceptions before they spread.

Another key initiative discussed was the “Youth-Driven National Image Promotion Policy Discussions,” a quarterly meeting platform based on VANK’s ‘Woollim’ platform. The meetings will address Korean cultural and tourism policies and discuss solutions to global inaccuracies about Korea. VANK emphasized the importance of preemptive action to prevent misrepresentations, pointing to recent cases like the omission of “Dokdo” and the “East Sea” in materials produced by the Sejong Institute.

The seminar also covered the “Generation AI Response and Promotion Campaign,” where VANK plans to work with influencers and AI platforms to ensure accurate depictions of Korean history and culture. Other projects include using the “K-info Hub” platform to spread global promotional content and the “I am an Ambassador!” campaign, which recruits foreigners to share Korean culture.

VANK presented innovative ideas from young researchers, such as promoting Korean heritage through monthly social media campaigns. These include creating themed content like introducing the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage ‘Taekkyeon’ and distributing digital backgrounds to increase global awareness.

VANK and the MCST emphasized the importance of these efforts to enhance Korea’s global cultural standing and correct misinformation.