Singaporean ambassador wins grand prize at Korea CQ
awards
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The winners of
the Korea CQ Awards pose after receiving prizes from the Corea Image
Communication Institute (CICI) at the Grand InterContinental Seoul Parnas Hotel
in southern Seoul, Tuesday. From left are Jordanian Ambassador Omar Nahar;
Singaporean Ambassador Peter Tan; CICI President Choi Jung-wha; Vincent Bernard,
general manager of Christian Dior Korea; and Joris Dierckx, country head for
Korea and general manager of BNP Paribas Seoul.
/ Korea Times photo by Baek
Byung-yeul
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By Chung Ah-young, Baek Byung-yeul
Singaporean Ambassador
Peter Tan won the grand prize at the Korea CQ award ceremony organized by the
Corea Image Communication Institute (CICI) at the Grand InterContinental Seoul
Parnas Hotel in southern Seoul, Tuesday.
The institute has held the Korea
CQ Forum twice yearly since 2006 to promote Korean culture to its members, made
up of opinion leaders, diplomats and expatriates from various fields, through
lectures and activities such as trips to historic sites and museums.
CQ
refers to five areas ― culture, concentration, communication, creativity and
cooperation. The CICI gives the grand prize to the member who stands out in all
the criteria and presents an award to members who make a significant
contribution in each of the five areas.
“The enthusiasm and curiosity of
CQ members toward Korean culture is getting bigger and bigger. They are becoming
good-will ambassadors who promote Korean culture (to the world). More and more
members continue to register with CQ every session,” CICI president Choi
Jung-wha said.
The Singaporean ambassador who has registered with CQ for
the third time received the grand prize for his contribution to boosting
cultural exchanges by inviting forum members to his official residence to
introduce Singaporean culture such as batik, cloth using a traditional dyeing
technique, and Peranakan cuisine.
The ambassador said that it was an
honor for him to receive the award. He joined CICI when he came to Korea in
2011. “It allows me to meet people beyond the normal circle of politicians and
government officials because CICI provides the platform to meet people from all
workforces such as business and culture and helps me and my wife understand the
culture and life of Korea,” he said.
Jordanian Ambassador Omar Nahar
picked up the concentration award for his efforts to extend cultural networks
between members. The ambassador also invited members to his official residence
for cultural exchanges and experienced Korean culture during a trip to Busan as
part of the CQ cultural programs.
Joris Dierckx, country head for Korea
and general manager of BNP Paribas Seoul, won the culture award and Vincent
Bernard, general manager of Christian Dior Korea, took home the cooperation
award.
Dierckx took part in cultural events with forum members such as
watching French-Korean dance piece “Theatre of Operations” choreographed by
Pierre Rigal at LG Arts Center as part of a cultural exchange.
Bernard
has actively engaged in the CQ Forum for four straight sessions and took his
family to Busan to share Korean culture. “I am very pleased to discover and
promote Korea,” he said.
The CICI also congratulated the graduates of the
14th session of the CQ Forum. Some 80 participants were in
attendance. They include EU Ambassador Tomasz Kozlowski; Austrian Ambassador
Josef Muellner; Slovak Ambassador Dusan Bella; Christian Loucq, director general
of the International Vaccine Institute (IVI); Herve Bouvier, general manager of
Estee Lauder Companies Korea; and Renault Samsung Motors CEO Francois
Provost.
Founded in 2003, the CICI has hosted various cultural events
bringing together a group of opinion leaders residing in Korea to share cultural
experiences. Among its noteworthy achievements was Culture 20 in September 2010
ahead of the G20 Seoul Summit. Culture 20 invited international figures from G20
member countries to experience Korean cultural
programs.
chungay@koreatimes.co.kr,
