Singaporean ambassador wins grand prize at Korea CQ awards

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

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. <The Korea Times/Chung Ah-young, Baek Byung-yeul>