Notice

Closing of World Chairmen’s Convention of Overseas Koreans Associations…Accomplishments and tasks
Date
2010.06.23

Success of giving prominence of an issue of overseas Koreans vote

Sources: Yon Hap News Agency

Excessive PRs of the government policy and plosive consonants during the progress of the convention are regretful.

Not small accomplishments and concurrently lots of regrets were left in `the 11th World Convention of Chairmen of Overseas Koreans Associations,' which was held for four days from June 15~18, 2010 in both of Seoul and Hoingseong of Gangwon-Do.

In this event hosted by the Overseas Koreans Foundation (OKF), an affiliate of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, the government side has positively explained about the meaning of invitation and expected accomplishments of G20 summit conference to be held in this October and Nuclear Security Summit Conference to be held in 2012.

Chairmen of Korean Associations issued a resolution to make positive contributions to increase the status and level of recognition of the motherland through aggressive PRs of the international events in countries where they reside.

In addition, it was a rare event of solidarity and harmony that over 300 chairmen of overseas Korean Associations had supporting cheers for the game by wearing all red T-shirts before South African World Cup Korea-Argentina Game in the night of June 17 at outdoor stage of Hyundai Seongwoo Resort in Hoingseong after they had time of excitement by exchanging friendship.

Chairmen of Korean Associations of main regions, who have high interest in domestic politics, succeed to collect interests in problems to be solved through this event looking forward to suffrage event of overseas Koreans which will be started from the 19th General election in 2012.

They raised their voices requesting allowance of mailing vote and Internet vote, which the current overseas Koreans vote law restricts, even before starting the convention and as the result, experts of each political parties policy, who were invited to the overseas Koreans policy forum on June 16, generally expressed the same sympathy for those opinions.

However, some participants expressed dissatisfaction that the event is too much concentrated on PRs of the government policy and the issue of suffrage.

It was because persons of the government and politicians, who were invited to the opening ceremony and successive lunches and dinners held continuously in every day, spent majority of their time for propagating the government policy PRs and accomplished records all together after briefly praising sacrifices and hard efforts of overseas Koreans.

At last, in the general meeting winding up the Seoul event held on June 17, complaints began to appear that "are we best men for politicians who came to deliver congratulatory and asking toast speeches of lunches and dinners?"

Chairman Ho Bin Kim of the US silicon valley Koreans Association landed a punch in the general meeting held right before closing ceremony on June 18 at Hoingseong of Gangwon-Do by saying that "we have nothing to learn or take home in this convention. The host is only concerned for publicizing the government policy instead of the event for chairmen of overseas Korean Associations."

Chairman Young In Lee of the US Texas Koreans Association also asked that "we have participated for learning and grafting something for local Korean society by spending lots of money but all were just formal contents" and "please be more perfect in preparation for the next event."

There were some regretful things with regard to implementing the convention such as there were some arguments in the process of selecting joint chairmen of the 12th convention.

On June 16, chairmen of the combined federation of 9 main Koreans Associations including the American and Asia & Middle East, Asia and Europe have decided in a form of recommendation to appoint chairmen of the combined federation of Canada, China and Koreans Associations as joint chairmen for the convention of next year but in the process of final approval on June 18, chairmen of Korean Associations of some regions had raised objections against the procedure and forms of the appointment and it became a small scandal.

Besides, chairmen of overseas Korean Associations who did not understand Korean language, failed to get along in harmony with chairmen from other regions  and as the combined federation of European Koreans Associations were divided into two, chairman of the combined European Federation of Koreans Associations   could not exercise his comment rights in the operation committee and it was pointed out as one fault of this event which was prepared for harmony and solidarity of overseas Koreans societies.

Chairman Nam Hee Im of Koreans Association in France said in this regard that "I hope next year convention can become a more fruitful event by improving irrational matters of the convention in this year."

(Seoul=Yon Hap News Agency) Reporter Jin-Wook Kang=
kjw@yna.co.kr
(The end)