Rescue of Han River Jumper, Contribution to Domestic Vaccine Development... 9 Foreigners Who Shined Seoul Awarded 'Seoul Honorary Citizens'

Mayor Oh Se-hoon Awarded Honorary Citizenship Certificate to Foreigners

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] Nine foreigners from eight countries who reside in Seoul and have contributed in various fields such as economy, culture, health, and tourism, as well as carried out diverse good deeds, have been selected as the ‘2021 Seoul Honorary Citizens.’

On the 1st, Mayor Oh Se-hoon held the '2021 Foreign Honorary Citizen Certificate Award Ceremony' at the multipurpose hall on the 8th floor of Seoul City Hall in the afternoon and presented the honorary citizen certificates. This year, among 32 foreigners from 24 countries recommended by institutions and organizations, nine were finally selected after a strict review by the judging committee. These individuals actively participated in various policy areas of Seoul’s administration such as economy, culture, and tourism, and contributed to making Seoul a happy city for both domestic and foreign residents through their various good deeds.

Among this year’s honorary citizens, Harvey Justin John (South Africa), who stood out for jumping into the Han River to rescue a citizen who had made an extreme choice by attempting to jump into the river, was notable. While walking along the Han River with his parents, he immediately jumped into the river upon seeing the citizen who had jumped in and showed a heroic act by saving a life before the rescue team arrived.

Mapo Lorr? (France), who majors in Pansori in Korea and has been promoting the beauty of Korean traditional music in Europe and Africa, was also named among the awardees. Since 2018, Mapo Lorr? has been continuously organizing charity events and festival programs to donate to vulnerable groups. There is also Jeon Min (China), the head of the Seoul branch of China’s leading bank, China Construction Bank, who has emphasized the mutual growth of Korea and China. He has practiced corporate social responsibility (CSR) by donating 50,000 KF94 masks to Jung-gu, Seoul, during the early spread of COVID-19.

Boos Marie Ann Kay (Belgium), who has contributed to enhancing Seoul’s global image by introducing Seoul’s tourism and cultural heritage overseas while working as a promotional influencer for the Seoul Tourism Foundation and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, was also selected.

Notably, this year, an honorary citizen recommended by the ‘International Vaccine Institute,’ the first international organization headquartered in Seoul during the COVID-19 pandemic, was included. This was in recognition of contributions to domestic vaccine development to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Shushant Sahastrabuddhe (India), the longest-serving foreigner at the International Vaccine Institute, was finally selected. He has led COVID-19 vaccine development with domestic companies, elevating Korea’s vaccine development level to a global standard. He is currently leading the final stage of COVID-19 vaccine development with domestic companies and is dedicated to advancing the domestic bio-industry.

The Seoul Honorary Citizen system began in 1958 by awarding ‘Meritorious Citizens’ to foreigners who helped with post-war urban reconstruction. Since then, honorary citizen certificates have been awarded to foreigners who contributed to Seoul’s administrative development, as well as visiting foreign dignitaries and diplomatic envoys, as a token of appreciation and to promote friendly cooperation. With Tajikistan becoming the 100th country to produce a ‘Seoul Honorary Citizen,’ a total of 891 honorary citizens from 100 countries have been selected to date.

Yoon Jong-jang, Director of Citizen Communication Planning at Seoul City, said, “Honorary citizens are people who love Seoul and have worked hard in various fields such as economy, culture, promotion, and volunteering for Seoul and its citizens. We hope they will continue to serve as bridges to promote exchanges between Seoul and overseas countries and cities.”