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The three day C20 event was held from September 8 - 10, 2010 with the hope of converting participants into ambassadors for Korea and all it represents. The summit was filled with a wide range of activities to give delegates a strong sense of the nation and its history, including a visit to Noryangjin Fish Market, the Korea National Museum, tasting sessions in the restaurants of expert chefs, and seminars to discuss different aspects of Korean culture.

“The representatives from G20 countries were able to experience Korean culture through their five senses,” one of the organizers said. “While the G20 Seoul summit focused a lot of attention on Korea the C20 was a very effective and concentrated way to introduce the fundamentals of Korean culture to the world.”

One of the components of the C20 was a story telling contest, which gave the nation’s citizens the chance to show off both their creative skills and their love for their nation and its deep cultural roots. The first-place winner received a cash prize of 5 million won and an invitation to C20 Night, which was the summit’s closing ceremony. Some of the famous names attending this closing night included the famed French writer and scholar Guy Sorman; Mexico’s playwright extraordinaire Sabina Berman; Italian fashion house chairman Vittorio Missoni, and assorted journalists and art critics.

Applicants to the story telling competition were tasked with relating their story to three out of a possible six Korean related topics (“hansik,” Korean food, “hanji,” traditional Korean paper, “hanbok,” traditional Korean dress, “Hangeul,” the Korean alphabet, “hanok,” traditional Korean houses and Korean music). While a seven minute time limit was imposed applicants were free to present their story in any manner they desired, from firm narratives to flowing prose.

The C20 was deemed to be a resounding success by all involved and gave the international delegates a strong sense of what Korea is really about, aside from the profit margins and skyscrapers. It was another example of the great work that the CICI is continuing to carry out since its formation in 2003 to help improve the nation’s international image. Let’s look forward to the next C20!