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Friends of Korea Photo Exhibit to Tour 5 U.S. Cities

By Erica Burman on Monday, August 15th, 2011

On these pages (Web, that is) we’ve written before about the Friends of Korea group, and how in 2008 the Korean government, in gratitude of their service, created a hosted return program for former Korea Peace Corps Volunteers.  That also led to collaboration on a photo exhibit which toured Korea, and the publication of a beautiful coffee table book of photos.  Now those photos are coming to the U.S.

The exhibit, titled “A Story of Volunteerism,” chronicles the Peace Corps volunteer experience in the Republic of Korea from 1966-1981.  The Peace Corps came to South Korea in 1966 when the country was still in recovery from the Korean War but eager to develop and grow.  During its fifteen years in Korea approximately 1,800 Peace Corps Volunteers served as teachers in middle schools, high schools and universities and also worked in public health programs.

The exhibit also features Korea’s volunteer agency, the Korean International Cooperation Agency (KOICA), aka the Korean Peace Corps, which is celebrating its 20th anniversary.  In 1991 the Korean government established KOICA to return to the world the help and assistance it had received as it matured economically and politically in the second half of the last century.  It marked an important step in moving from a recipient to a donor nation.  Today, 3,000 KOICA volunteers serving in forty countries in Asia, Europe, Latin America, Africa and the Middle East.

“A Story of Volunterism” will debut in Honolulu, Hawaii and then move on to two locations in Washington, D.C. beginning September 12, 2011.  From September  12-16,  2011 the exhibit will be on display at KORUS House (2370 Massachusetts Avenue, NW, Washington, DC, 20008 Monday through Friday from 10:00 AM to 5:00 p.m.) The opening ceremony (10 a.m., September 12th) –  with remarks from dignitaries representing the Friends of Korea, Peace Corps, the Korean Embassy, KOICA, and the National Peace Corps Association — will be followed by a ribbon cutting and light food.

From September 19-23, the photos will be on display in the lobby of the United Methodist Board Building (100 Maryland Avenue NE, Washington, DC 20002), a historical landmark building located next to the Supreme Court and across from the Capitol.

National Exhibit Schedule:

  • Honolulu September 6-23, 2011; Honolulu City Hall
  • Washington, DC, September 12-16; KORUS House
  • Washington, DC, September 19-23; United Methodist Board Building
  • Chicago October 7-14; Roosevelt University
  • New York City,  October 18-28; Korean Culture Center
  • Los Angeles,  January 13-26; Korean Culture Center

You can get a tiny preview of the exhibit, on the Friends of Korea website.

 

 

 

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