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| New Zealand Ambassador to Korea Philip Turner holds a porcelain cup instead of a disposable one as part of the #GoGoChallenge in this video posted on the embassy's social media on March 23. Captured from Facebook |
By Kwon Mee-yoo
The COVID-19 pandemic has changed lifestyle in many ways, and the lives of ambassadors in Korea are no exception. Their calendars used to be jam-packed with events as they communicated with other diplomats as well as public and private figures of the country. But the pandemic and social distancing rules have forced the canceling of events or limiting the number of guests, making networking difficult.
Instead of clinking glasses at events, foreign diplomats in Korea are finding new ways to communicate though social media and share a positive influence.
New Zealand Ambassador to Seoul Philip Turner posted a video of himself ordering a coffee served in a porcelain cup ― instead of a disposable one ― at a coffee shop, on the embassy's social media on March 23, participating in the #GoGoChallenge.
#GoGoChallenge is a social media campaign initiated by Korea's Ministry of Environment to take action to reduce the use of plastic and single-use products.
The Norwegian Embassy invited the New Zealand Embassy to participate in the #GoGoChallenge and the latter nominated the New Zealand Chamber of Commerce in Korea and the Australian Embassy in Korea as the next participants for the challenge.
"I was pleased to take part in the #GoGoChallenge in particular because I have a personal frustration about the amount of plastic and unnecessary packaging that is produced in cafes and bakeries. I always insist on a cup or a mug rather than using a paper or plastic cup," Turner said in a written interview with The Korea Times.
"When I was filming our short clip for the #GoGoChallenge in a cafe near our embassy, a staff member of the cafe came up to ask whether she could film it too. Of course I was pleased to say yes! I hope she may have used it for similar purposes inside the cafe business."
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| Netherlands Ambassador to Korea Joanne Doornewaard, center, gives gifts to janitors at the embassy as a token of gratitude for cleaning and disinfecting the embassy as part of the "Thank you to the essential workers" social media campaign, in this photo posted on the embassy's social media on March 24. Captured from Instagram |
In February, Turner was invited by Denmark Ambassador Einar Jensen to join the "Thank you to the essential workers" campaign. Turner expressed his gratitude to employees at the embassy, including a security guard checking temperatures of those entering the building.
"Thank you to all the essential workers working on COVID-19 here in Korea. ... The workers in Korea show courage and selflessness, and devotion in dealing with the COVID-19 crisis. We thank you all. Now, I'd like to pass on to my colleague Catherine Raper, Ambassador of Australia, to take this initiative forward," Turner said in a video posted on the embassy's social media.
"It was a great opportunity to express my appreciation in person to the people whom I meet every day and who are working hard to help and take care of others during this difficult COVID pandemic. As for the #GoGoChallenge participation, it was really good to share what we really need to think about to take care of the Earth," the New Zealand ambassador said.
Turner believes that all change starts from individuals deciding to improve something in their lives ― even something small.
"Social media campaigns contribute to raising awareness of social issues among people. With awareness and understanding people can then decide to drive change themselves ― and of course working with others," Turner said.
"Everyone can influence change. But whether fairly or not, ambassadors have a high profile ― more than ordinary people. We therefore have both a greater opportunity and a greater responsibility to think about how we can influence the wide community. By nominating each other and spreading the word around, we can help build a broader campaign to raise awareness and drive change in our community."
