Oftentimes, when Koreans meet foreigners, it is surprising to realize that we don’t know much about Korea, our own country. This often happens because we have little knowledge or even worse, have been indifferent about what is ours.

In the age of globalization, it is important to have the ability to analyze and understand the current status of Korea from different perspectives, and, I believe, enlightened intellectuals should be entrusted with these efforts.

Understanding Korea’s politics, economy, society, culture, science and technology within the framework of globalization is not only essential in external relations but also to establish our identity and alleviate friction.

A lot of foreigners who are interested in Korea are opinion leaders, that is to say they are influential in their society, or are in a similar position. Therefore, it is important to effectively promote Korea’s image to these foreigners. These people work as decision-makers in international organizations, governments and companies where their decisions directly affect Korea. Therefore, it is vital to systematically study ways to effectively promote Korea.

During the past few decades Korea concentrated on achieving growth. Now, based on our strong potential, the time has come for us to build and strengthen cooperative relationships in various fields with partners around the world.

Through numerous projects, the Corea Image Communication Institute (CICI) aims to reach a better understanding of Korea and to convey it to the rest of the world, ultimately offering a new vision for the 21st century, so that we can claim our rightful status.

I would like to ask each and every one of you to continuously support and take interest in CICI’s efforts to effectively promote Korea’s image.