Minister-Counselor of the Embassy of the ROK Kim Jingon Calls On Strengthening Media Diplomacy for Exchanges and Cooperation

On February 27, the Charming Beijing Overseas Communication Achievements Exhibition and the 2023 Launch Ceremony of Charming Beijing TV Series took place at the No. 10 exhibition hall of Shougang Park, Beijing. The event was sponsored by the Information Office of the People's Government of Beijing Municipality. Kim Jingon, Minister-Counselor of the Embassy of the Republic of Korea in China and Director of the Korean Cultural Center in China received an exclusive interview on-site from CRI Online.

The production and overseas publicity of Charming Beijing TV series, carried out by the Information Office of the People's Government of Beijing Municipality and CRI Online of China Media Group is an innovative project aiming to encourage cultural exchanges between China and foreign countries. Since its first launch in 2019, the TV series project has invited production teams from ten countries, namely Laos, Thailand, Cambodia, Myanmar, Russia, Japan, Serbia, Italy, Croatia, and the Republic of Korea to carry out interviews and video shooting in Beijing. It seeks to tell Beijing's stories through a global vision and showcase good moments of Beijing to different regions and targeted audiences. The year 2022 marked the 30th anniversary of the establishment of the diplomatic relationship between China and the Republic of Korea. The episode 30 Years of Friendship for a Shared Future hosted by Kim Junbum was completed and would be available on mainstream TV stations in the Republic of Korea recently.

Kim Jingon, Minister-Counselor of the Embassy of the Republic of Korea in China and Director of the Korean Cultural Center in China delivers a speech

"I am impressed by the digital exhibition A Dream Journey through Panorama of Rivers and Mountains in the 2022 Charming Beijing TV series. The exhibition adopts digital technologies to demonstrate the beauty of A Panorama of Rivers and Mountains, a silk-based ink and color painting of Wang Ximeng. Traditional Chinese culture is well integrated with advanced technologies and the past, present, and future of China are also connected in perfect harmony," said Kim Jingon after watching Charming Beijing TV series.

As mentioned by Kim Jingon, he visited Beijing in 2010 for the first time during his business trip. "There is a Chinese idiom that seas change into mulberry fields and mulberry fields into seas, indicating time brings great changes to the world. It can best reflect the big changes in Beijing in the past ten years. Compared with itself ten years ago, Beijing now has better air quality and enjoys rapid growth in sharing economy and electronic communication. Services of a cashless society, quick access to taxis and automatic bill payment are all what I experienced in Beijing. Besides, the orderly traffic and tidy and clean urban environment give me a deep impression," said Kim Jingon.

As one who has stayed in Beijing for ten years, Kim Jingon is very familiar with the cultural spaces in the city. "I strongly recommend my friends to visit the Palace Museum when they come to Beijing for the first time. The Palace Museum symbolizes the history of China. With profound traditional culture, it is a typical element. Shougang Park, one of the areas for the Beijing 2022 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, is a vivid example telling the world how a steel plant has been transformed into a cultural space and a hub for metaverse technology in China," noted Kim Jingon.

He also said, "The Republic of Korea and China are close neighbors. Moreover, we are friends sharing similar cultural traditions and thoughts. The year 2022 marked the 30th anniversary of the establishment of a diplomatic relationship between us. We have carried out frequent cultural exchanges since we established the diplomatic relationship. Hence, pop culture from ROK and Chinese style become popular and are gradually absorbed into the daily life of people on the two sides. People from the two countries benefit from cultural exchanges and they are happier with better life quality. It is regarded as the biggest achievement made in cultural exchanges of us over the past 30 years."

When it comes to the role that media diplomacy played in developing and maintaining the relationship between the two countries, Kim Jingon said, "The media is the most essential channel for people from both sides to know each other well. Thus, it is important to strengthen exchanges and cooperation between our media and especially tell stories of us from a more objective and friendly angle." He also gave a high appraisal to Charming Beijing TV series, the overseas publicity project. Kim Jingon said, "Charming Beijing TV series is a good example of telling Beijing's stories from the position of foreigners. I hope that more people from ROK can take part in the production and shooting in the future."