Gwangju Global Expedition Shares the Value of Inclusive Cities

First Activities as 'Ambassador' in Cambodia: Local Medical Volunteering, Cooking, Taekwondo, K-pop, and More

One of Gwangju City's public diplomacy citizen activities, the Gwangju Global Expedition, played a significant role as an ambassador promoting the value of "Inclusive City Gwangju" from the 19th to the 24th in Kampong Speu Province and Phnom Penh, Cambodia. Photo by Gwangju City

The Gwangju Global Expedition Team, a leading public diplomacy citizen activity representing Gwangju City, successfully served as an ambassador to promote the values of the "Inclusive City Gwangju" in Cambodia.

According to Gwangju City on the 25th, the 1st Gwangju Global Expedition Team (hereinafter referred to as the Expedition Team) carried out public diplomacy citizen activities in Kampong Speu Province and Phnom Penh, Cambodia, from the 19th to the 24th.

The Expedition Team is a public diplomacy citizen activity program combined with Official Development Assistance (ODA), sharing the values of the "Inclusive City Gwangju" around the world and promoting Gwangju. The program is hosted by Gwangju City and organized by the Gwangju International Center.

The first Expedition Team consists of 37 citizens from various fields such as healthcare and education, ranging from middle school students to middle-aged adults nearing retirement, all serving as ambassadors for Gwangju.

The team conducted medical volunteer work to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the Gwangju Clinic in Cambodia. They also introduced Gwangju, a city of democracy, human rights, and peace, and offered various Korean cultural experiences to 120 local students and villagers near the clinic.

They visited the King’s Sejong Institute at the Royal University of Agriculture in Phnom Penh, where they ran the "Gwangju Pop-Up Class," a public diplomacy project for about 60 local students learning Korean. The program included dialect classes, hanbok and cooking experiences, taekwondo, and K-POP dance lessons.

Thavrak Huon, Vice President of the Royal University of Agriculture and Director of the Sejong Institute, is an alumnus of Chonnam National University, making the encounter even more meaningful.

Jiyoon Jung, a student who participated with her mother before entering university, said, "I want to make a small contribution to promoting Gwangju City. This has become an opportunity for my personal growth."

Soeun Park, an office worker who managed local events at the clinic, said, "Through the Global Expedition Team activities, I want to share the warm cultural values of Korea and convey a positive image. I hope to create a better society by working with people from diverse backgrounds and environments, gaining new perspectives."

Meanwhile, support from the local community also contributed to the "Inclusive City Gwangju." This included medical volunteer work by the Asia Hope Tree, which operates the Gwangju Clinic in Cambodia, dental volunteer work by Chosun University Dental Hospital, pharmaceutical sponsorships from Gunil Pharmaceutical, SK Chemicals, and inno.N, and cosmetic sponsorships from AANT, a small business in Gwangju.