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| Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon puts an honorary citizenship medal around the neck of Ryan Goessl, executive/artistic director of Camarata Music Company. |
By Jon Dunbar
Last Thursday, 22 foreign residents of Seoul representing 17 countries were welcomed as honorary citizens of Korea's capital city.
At this year's honorary citizenship ceremony, held at the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts, Mayor Park Won-soon handed medals and certificates to diplomats and business people, as well as educators and cultural leaders.
"The institution of Seoul Honorary Citizenship is a great honor," said Lakhvinder Singh, a visiting professor from India, as well as head of the Korean Peace Movement and a Korea Times contributor. "It gives you strong motivation to continue with your work against all odds. It makes you feel something great about yourself in your chest."
The title, which confers small advantages such as free entry to city-run museums, is mainly ceremonial, but to those who have dedicated so much of their lives to the community of a city of almost 10 million people, its symbolic meaning is powerful.
"It doesn't matter to me, but it matters to the organization," said Ryan Goessl, executive/artistic director of Camarata Music Company (CMC). "It's nice to be recognized but more importantly I'm hoping being granted this honorary citizenship will help us build a closer and more tight-knit relationship with the Korean government and private sectors within Korea and the expat community as a whole."
Other awardees this year included Mercedes-Benz Korea head Dimitris Psillakis, TV personality and Pakistani national Zahid Hussain, and heads of Seongdong Global English House Monica Cymerman and Benjamin Kostenbader who received the honor as a pair.
They join previously inducted honorary citizens including legendary Korea 2002 football coach Guus Hiddink, half-Korean NFL quarterback Hines Ward, Hong Kong action star Jackie Chan and James Bond actor Roger Moore. Throughout its 60-year history, the honorary citizenship program has named 822 people representing 97 countries.
The CMC is one of the world's most diverse music organizations worldwide, having had members from 99 countries ― although around a third of the members of its various choirs are Korean citizens. Members range from ambassadors and government ministers, to domestic workers, students, housewives, businesspeople and English teachers, with ages ranging from five years old to nearly 80.
"We are creating global communities through the universal language of music," Goessl said. "Through Camarata we have made so many lasting relationships, we're more like a family than a community. No less than 23 couples have actually met and gotten married through Camarata."
Through Goessl, the CMC has put on events celebrating the national days of various countries with diplomatic relations with Korea. Soon it will celebrate its 10-year anniversary, and next year there are plans for several events celebrating the 100-year anniversary of Korea's March 1st Movement, a civil resistance against the 1910-45 Japanese occupation of Korea, with plans to collaborate with various Korean choirs.
Their "Christmas with Camarata" concert will be held Dec. 8. Last year's event garnered 2,500 spectators.
"Now that Korea's becoming a world player, more can be done to embrace multiculturalism," Goessl said. "I think the government is doing a lot to expand on that, which is why they have the Honorary Citizen award which is great. On the private citizen and private enterprise level it needs to be embraced more."
"There are so many things we can improve in the city," Singh said. "To begin with I would like to focus on education for foreign children. The city government can definitely do more to solve the problem. I will play a more active role in improving the city in any way I can. Further, I strongly believe in improving Korea's image abroad."
"Seoul strives to make an environment that is safe for foreign residents and also where they can succeed as well," Mayor Park Won-soon said at the event.
