Swiss Architect Mario Botta and Tenor Lim Hyung-joo Among Honorees at the Korea Image Award Ceremony

Courtesy of CICI

In a recent announcement by the Corea Image Communication Institute (CICI), Genesis, Hyundai Motor's luxury brand, is set to receive the prestigious Korea Image Stepping Stone Award. The award, to be presented at the Korea Image Award ceremony on January 10, 2024, acknowledges Genesis' notable contribution to enhancing South Korea's global image.

The Korea Image Stepping Stone Award is bestowed upon individuals or businesses that have played a significant role in advancing South Korea's reputation on the international stage. In addition to Genesis, Swiss architect Mario Botta has been named the recipient of the Korea Image Stepping Stone Bridge Award for his role as a "bridge" in promoting South Korea's image globally. Botta is renowned for his designs of Korean landmarks such as the Leeum Museum of Art and Kyobo Gangnam Tower. 

▲ Courtesy of CICI
The Korea Image Capstone Award will be presented to Lim Hyung-joo, a Korean operatic pop tenor, recognized for popularizing the genre of "popera" in Korea. Meanwhile, the Korea Image Flowerstone Award goes to Mafo Laure, a French pansori singer, for his significant contribution in delivering ancient Korean expressions through pansori to foreigners.

Choi Jung-hwa, the president of CICI, highlighted the theme of this year's award ceremony as "best comes from innovation." She expressed her satisfaction with the selection of awardees, emphasizing the trendsetting influence of K-culture. CICI, a private nonprofit organization established in 2003, focuses on researching and promoting Korea's image globally. The Korea Image Awards, an annual ceremony hosted by CICI, gathers opinion leaders from various fields, including diplomatic envoys and industry leaders.

The upcoming ceremony, marking the 20th anniversary of CICI's establishment, is expected to be attended by approximately 500 guests. Notable attendees include CJ Group Chairman Sohn Kyung-shik, JoongAng Media Network Chairman and CEO Hong Seok-hyun, and diplomatic envoys such as French Ambassador to Korea Philippe Bertoux, German Ambassador to Korea Georg Schmidt, and Singaporean Ambassador to Korea Eric Teo. The event will take place at the InterContinental Seoul Coex next month.

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Blue YIM, yimyoungseo1010@naver.com