Korea is blossoming. In 1988, there were only about 2.4 million international visitors to South Korea as the country celebrated the Summer Olympics. Then about 30 years later, hosting the World Cup (2002) and the Winter Olympics (2018) in between, South Korea reached the highest points of international attention with a record breaking 17.5 million visitors from overseas as well as 2.5 million foreign residents. Who would have thought this was possible only 60 years after Korean War?

 

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Korea is growing. With the new found success of K-Pop, K-Drama, and K-Beauty, Korean culture is making bigger waves of influence all around the world than ever before. This reminds us the vision for the country laid by Kim Gu, the last president of the Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea and a leader of the Korean independence movement:

“Because I have felt the pain of being invaded by another nation, I do not want my nation to invade others. [...] The only thing that I desire in infinite quantity is the power of a noble culture. This is because the power of culture both makes ourselves happy and gives happiness to others.”

As we witness more Koreans on a global stage and more international communities embracing Korean culture, Kim Gu’s message serves as a guiding light. 

 

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Today’s Korea, however, faces new challenges as the community becomes more diverse and dynamic. The National Human Rights Commission of Korea, for example, reports that six in ten Korean citizens experience hate expressions (hate speech). The institution’s another research study indicates that 68.4% of the foreign residents express racial discrimination exists in Korea. Addressing the rise of social discord and conflict, we are here to seek solutions to bring the words of Kim Gu into reality and spread good Korean values all across borders.