Soprano Sumi Jo Appointed as Cultural Cooperation Ambassador... "Contributing to the Spread of K-Culture"

Lee Sunghoon, Adjunct Professor at Sungkonghoe University, Appointed as Ambassador for Human Rights, Peace, and Democracy

Soprano Sumi Jo, who celebrates the 40th anniversary of her debut on the world stage this year, has been appointed as the government's Cultural Cooperation Ambassador. In addition, Lee Sunghoon, an adjunct professor at the Graduate School of Civil Peace at SungKongHoe University, has been appointed as Ambassador for Human Rights, Peace, and Democracy.

Soprano Sumi Jo. Photo by Yonhap News Agency

On May 8, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that it had appointed Ambassador Jo and Ambassador Lee to support diplomatic activities in the fields of cultural cooperation and human rights, peace, and democracy. Their term of office is one year.

Ambassador Jo made her debut in October 1986 with the Italian opera "Rigoletto" and has represented Korea as a leading figure in the cultural and arts sector on the international stage for 40 years. She has previously served as the ambassador for the 2002 Korea-Japan World Cup, as a cultural promotion diplomatic envoy for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade from 2004 to 2006, and as ambassador for the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics, carrying out various international cultural diplomacy activities. She is currently a Distinguished Visiting Professor at the Graduate School of Culture Technology at KAIST.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated, "Ambassador Jo is a cultural figure with international recognition," adding, "Through her participation in major domestic and international cultural events, she is expected to enhance understanding of our public and cultural diplomacy policies, and contribute to the realization of K-Initiatives and the spread of K-Culture by conducting outreach activities for stakeholders in the private sector both domestically and internationally."

Ambassador Lee, who was also appointed, previously served as Secretary General of the Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development from 2005 to 2008, Executive Director of the Korea Human Rights Foundation from 2010 to 2018, and Non-Standing Director at KOICA from 2020 to 2022. He is currently the Vice President of the Korean Association of Human Rights Studies, an adjunct professor at the Graduate School of Civil Peace at SungKongHoe University, and an adjunct professor at the Graduate School of International Studies at Ajou University.

Ambassador Lee plans to expand the Korean government's participation in international discussions on human rights, peace, and democracy by attending international conferences such as the United Nations Human Rights Council and strengthening cooperative networks with countries with similar positions and international civil society. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated, "Through policy promotion activities for relevant stakeholders at home and abroad, Ambassador Lee is expected to contribute to strengthening the government's diplomatic capacity in the fields of human rights, peace, and democracy."

Meanwhile, the positions of Cultural Cooperation Ambassador and Ambassador for Human Rights, Peace, and Democracy are special envoy titles granted under the Government Representatives Act. This system allows the government to assign external ambassadorial titles to individuals with expertise and recognition in each field and utilize them in diplomatic activities. The President designates these ambassadors upon the recommendation of the Minister of Foreign Affairs and deliberation by the Cabinet.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.