By Lee Jon-young |  The World Masters Committee, led by Chairman Kim Min-chan, hosted a grand event, “World Masters Committee Culture Day 2024 - International Culture Day 2024,” to share its vision of a world united by culture and the arts.

The event, which was attended by more than 270 people from some 40 foreign embassies in Seoul, Korean world masters, culture-related celebrities, was an international cultural exchange event organized by the World Masters Committee for a better future.

The committee, which began its activities in 2007, has established an international cultural diplomacy network with more than 90 foreign embassies in Korea. The foreign embassies support the committee's “vision” and work as a cultural partner based on the trust built through exchanges. You can learn more about on its website.

The first part of the official ceremony consisted of the screening of a video introducing the committee's vision and another video commemorating the 20th anniversary of the establishment of the committee's affiliated organization, the Korea Masters Association, welcoming and congratulatory speeches, and the awarding of Honorary World Master and World Master, and the second part was a dinner followed by various performances and prize drawings.

In his welcome speech, Chairman Kim Min-chan of the World Masters Committee, said, “I am very pleased to be here with all of you who share and support the vision of the World Masters Committee. I hope that this will be a valuable place to communicate with each other and share visions, and an important step towards a better future.”

He expressed his gratitude to the ambassadors and other diplomats of foreign embassies, Korea’s global masters, Korean masters, and all those who want to create a better world through the power of culture, and expressed his wish to share the future together.

He also expressed his gratitude for the 20th anniversary of the Korea Masters Association and urged them to remember that the talent and passion of Korean masters will be the driving force behind the future of Korea's cultural and artistic scene.

Ambassador of the Kingdom of Morocco to Korea Chafik Rachadi, who is also head of the Diplomatic Mission to Korea and head of the Africa and the Arab Diplomatic Mission to Korea, delivered a congratulatory speech, referring to the Korean Peninsula Project (the establishment of a World Culture and Arts City in the DMZ) proposed by the Council in 2007, and said that the difficult realities faced by the world can be transformed into a world full of love and peace through the beautiful and universal language of culture and art.

In his commemorative speech, Yoon Sang-ho, Chairman of the Korea Masters Association, said, “We have become an organization that strives to protect and develop culture and the arts. I am deeply grateful to the officers, members, and Korean Masters who have supported us at every step of the way,” he said, adding, 'In our 20-year history, our founder, Chairman Kim Min-chan, has always been a strong fence.”

The 'Honorary World Master' is an honorary title bestowed upon ambassadors who have actively collaborated with the committee's vision, and this year, Ambassador Chafik Rachadi, head of the Diplomatic Mission to Korea, received the honor.

The World Master is a system designed to give honor and pride to cultural and artistic figures from around the world who have excelled in their fields, and currently, 389 people from 80 countries are members of the World Masters Association and engage in international cultural exchange activities. 

The 15 Korean World Masters selected this year had the honor of being inducted at today's event. They expressed their gratitude to the committee for making them feel proud, saying that it was a moment of recognition for their achievements in the world of culture and art.

The second part of the performance began with a congratulatory speech by world famous master Cho Kyung-hee. Cho opened the performance with a blessing wishing happiness and good health to everyone in attendance, congratulating them on the event and the 20th anniversary of the Korean Masters Association, followed by a majestic performance by world master Noh Byeong-il, and a rarely heard performance by world master Lee Sung-won, who played geomungo (Korean musical instrument with six strings, six-stringed Korean zither) Sanjo. 

The world dance team of the World Masters Committee performed the Cha Cha Cha and Tango to liven up the atmosphere.

The event concluded with a lottery with wonderful artworks, prizes, and other goodies sponsored by Korean world masters and Korean masters, which was a fun time for everyone who attended the event.

We have high expectations for the World Masters Committee, which is preparing for the future with the belief of 'Toward Culture, the World, and the Future' and the vision of 'For a world united by culture and art', and hope that international cultural exchange activities such as today's will continue.