'2022 World Island Cultural Diversity Forum' Opens in Sinan

Participation from Spain, Samoa, Indonesia, Greece, and the Marshall Islands...

[Sinan=Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Choi Jae-kyung] The ‘2022 Global Islands Cultural Diversity Forum’ commenced on the 8th at the Grand Ballroom of Ramada Plaza Hotel & Sea One Resort on Jaeun Island, Sinan County, Jeollanam-do, with an opening address by Park Woo-ryang, the governor of Sinan County, kicking off a 1-night, 2-day schedule.

This international forum aims to ▲promote the unique and diverse cultures and wisdom of islands, ▲explore sustainable tourism measures, and ▲support islands around the world facing difficulties due to climate change.

This year, Sinan County hosted the ‘2023 Korea Culture Month’ under the theme ‘Only Islands, a Treasure Trove of Cultural Diversity’.

Ahead of the Culture Month event, Sinan County proposed an international pre-event where people from around the world gather to discuss island cultural diversity. The forum gained momentum with the participation of the National Assembly Island Development Research Group and the Pacific Tourism Organization.

Additionally, special advisors for the forum included Gustde Namarupa, Head of Bali Badung Regency Tourism Office; Yolanda Perdomo, Director of Madrid Tourism Office, Spain; Jerry Brunt, Honorary Consul of the Republic of Korea in Samoa; Jaime Alejandre, Tourism Counselor at the Embassy of Spain in Korea; Dwayne Bentley, General Director of Samoa Tourism Office; and Mikail Tonoglo, Professor of Hotel and Tourism at Jeonju University, giving the forum an international stature.

Notably, the forum hosted by a basic local government was jointly supported by government ministries including the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of the Interior and Safety, Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, and Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries, drawing attention.

The event, which brought together islanders from Spain, Samoa, Indonesia, Greece, the Marshall Islands, and residents of Sinan County, consisted of lectures, island culture workshops, and a tour to experience the UN World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) World’s Best Tourism Village.

Following the opening ceremony, the main forum began at 1 p.m., divided into sections on Island Culture Diversity, Sustainable Tourism, and Response to Climate Change.

The keynote speech for the first section, ‘Island Culture Diversity,’ was delivered by Tregar Albon Ishoda, Ambassador of the Marshall Islands to Korea, presenting ‘The Brilliant Cultural Heritage of the Pacific.’ Additionally, Kang Jae-yoon, Director of the Island Research Institute, and Jerry Brunt, Honorary Consul of the Republic of Korea in Samoa, shared case studies.

Yolanda Perdomo, Director of Madrid Tourism Office, Spain, gave the keynote speech for the second section, ‘Sustainable Tourism,’ discussing ‘The Future of Sustainable Island Tourism.’ Park Jeong-ha, Sinan County Tourism Ambassador; Gustde Namarupa, Head of Bali Badung Regency Tourism Office; and Mikail Tonoglo, Professor at Jeonju University, helped participants understand through case presentations.

In the final third section, ‘Response to Climate Change,’ Jaime Alejandre, Tourism Counselor at the Embassy of Spain in Korea, delivered the keynote speech on ‘Challenges for Preserving Island Cultural Diversity.’ Case presenters included Park Seung-geun, Director of Flight Education at the Unmanned Mobility Convergence Research Institute, Pusan National University, and Park Jae-ah, Director of the Korea Branch of the Pacific Tourism Organization. Chris Cocker, CEO of the Pacific Tourism Organization, also presented a video on ‘Pacific Cultures Disappearing Due to the Climate Crisis.’

At the conclusion of the forum, participants adopted the ‘2022 Purple Island Protocol’ proposed by the forum organizing committee. In response to the committee’s proposal to establish an international network to widely promote the value of island culture, participants pledged empathy and cooperation by adopting the protocol.

In the evening, a dinner and performance titled ‘Experience the Taste and Charm of the Islands’ took place. The dinner featured fresh and special ingredients from Sinan County. Furthermore, traditional Balinese theater, Samoan dance, and gayageum singer-songwriter performances enlivened the forum participants.

On the second day of the forum, the 9th, ‘Island Culture Workshops’ and a ‘Sinan Island Experience Tour’ are scheduled.

The morning workshops are divided into three fields with the same titles as the forum sections. In ‘Island Culture Diversity,’ Choi Bit-na, Co-Artistic Director of the 2022 Singapore Biennale, introduces art connecting Sinan, Hawaii, and the Pacific. Professor Kim Sung-in of Jeju National University shares cultural exchange cases between Fiji and Korea.

In the ‘Sustainable Tourism’ field, Kim Byung-jin, Research Fellow, and Min Hyun-jung, Research Director at the Gwangju Jeonnam Research Institute, explain sustainable tourism and strategies for attracting a resident population.

In the ‘Response to Climate Change’ field, Professor Eun Ki-soo of Seoul National University discusses overcoming population crises, and Kwon Moon-sang, Chairman of the Equator Ocean Forum, talks about the Pacific’s climate crisis and responses.

In the afternoon of the same day, forum participants will visit Banwol and Bakji Islands, known as Purple Islands, on the Sinan Island Experience Tour to encounter culture, nature, and people.

Purple Island was selected last year as the ‘1st World’s Best Tourism Village’ by the UN World Tourism Organization (UNWTO). It was also chosen as one of the ‘Top 100 Representative Tourist Destinations in Korea that Koreans and Foreign Visitors Must Visit’ for 2021?2022, organized by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korea Tourism Organization.

Alongside the forum venue, side events such as a ‘Special Photo Exhibition’ and ‘World Island Culture Exhibition’ are held. In the corridor outside the venue, a special photo exhibition by British photographer Michael Kenna is on display.

The artist, who says ‘Sinan is TREND, Sinan is ANSWER,’ communicates with the audience through 24 black-and-white photographs taken in 2013 of Sinan’s islands and landscapes.

In Zone B next to the venue, representative products and travel information from the invited countries Greece, Spain, Indonesia, the Marshall Islands, and Sinan County are exhibited. Additionally, promotion of the ‘Sinan Mudflats,’ registered as a UNESCO World Natural Heritage site, is accompanied by canoe exhibitions and weaving experiences.

Park Woo-ryang, chairman of the forum organizing committee and governor of Sinan County, stated, “Until now, Sinan County has aimed not to be the first or best in Korea but the first and best in the world, proving vividly that ‘local is global.’ Today’s forum detailed this to the world.” He added, “Taking this forum as an opportunity, we will elevate Sinan as a center that promotes and preserves the cultural diversity of islands worldwide and jointly achieves sustainable development.”