Irish Ambassador to Korea Joins the 'Itaewon Recovery Challenge'

by Moon Hyewon

Published 17 Apr.2023 17:42(KST)

Michelle Wintrup, the Irish Ambassador to Korea, participated in the 'Itaewon Dinner Challenge' to help revive the Itaewon commercial district.

Michelle Wintrup, the Ambassador of Ireland to Korea, recently participated in the 'Itaewon Dinner Challenge' and posted related content on Twitter.
[Photo by Ambassador Wintrup on Twitter]

According to Seoul City on the 17th, Ambassador Wintrup recently visited an Irish pub in Itaewon, Yongsan-gu, Seoul, and completed the challenge certification.

The Itaewon Dinner Challenge is a participatory support campaign proposed by Lee Young, Minister of SMEs and Startups, to activate the 'Hey, Itaewon' project aimed at revitalizing the Itaewon commercial district. Participants post a photo on Instagram with a hashtag showing that they had a meal with colleagues at an Itaewon restaurant and recommend the next participant in a relay format.

Ambassador Wintrup's participation in the challenge was prompted by Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon. Earlier, Mayor Oh completed the challenge while having dinner at the Itaewon World Food Street and posted on Facebook on the 12th, nominating Ambassador Wintrup and some Seoul City ambassadors as the next participants.

Ambassador Wintrup said, "I gladly accepted this challenge and was happy to fulfill my duty," adding, "I will encourage other ambassadors to participate with the hope of a swift recovery of the Itaewon commercial district."

She recommended Maria Castillo Fernandez, the Ambassador of the European Union (EU) to Korea, Dallas Curdy, Executive Chef at the Grand Hyatt Hotel, Asia Society, and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) as the next participants in the challenge.

Appointed in January this year, Ambassador Wintrup has served as a UN policy advisor, head of the Palm Africa Ethiopia office, and director of the Development Cooperation and Africa Policy Division at the Irish Ministry of Foreign Affairs.