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Overseas Koreans Agency convenes leadership conference on empowering diaspora

Published: 29 May. 2025, 17:22 Updated: 29 May. 2025, 17:40

LEE SOO-JUNG
[email protected]

Commissioner of the Overseas Koreans Agency Lee Sang-deok and people of Korean ethnicity from 20 countries pose for a commemorative photograph during “2025 Future Leaders’ Conference″ that kicked off at Songdo Convensia in Incheon on May 27. [OVERSEAS KOREAN AGENCY]

The state-run Overseas Koreans Agency (OKA) convened a conference in Incheon this week to empower the Korean diaspora to build a global network and remind them of their ties to Korea.

A total of 63 people of Korean ethnicity living in the United States, Britain, China, New Zealand, Russia, Argentina, Germany and some other 20 nations attended the "2025 Future Leaders' Conference."

The gathering marked the third of its kind since the OKA was launched in June 2023. The Overseas Koreans Foundation under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs had hosted the event since 1998.

In an opening speech on Tuesday, OKA Commissioner Lee Sang-deok said the participants are "those who will lead the global network," adding that they are "precious assets to Korea, not strangers."

Lee asked them to “contribute to your ‘home country’ and lead change,” stressing that the agency would support such activities.

A 27-year-old Argentine doctor, Sol Carola Song, whose visit to Korea was the first in their life, said they hoped "the participants, who will be future leaders in their fields, would indulge in Korean culture deeply while discussing various topics."

On the second day of the program, Wednesday, Lee sat down with the participants and informed them of the agency's initiatives — support for their settlement in Korea, the establishment of an international business network among Korean diaspora entrepreneurs and businesspeople and an expansion of the Korean community abroad.

In return, the participants presented their ideas on how to enter mainstream society in their countries and how to shape their identities as part of the diaspora.

The conference runs through Friday, and participants will have small-group sessions to discuss their roles, expand the Korean diasporas' network and go on a tour of the National Assembly in western Seoul.

BY LEE SOO-JUNG [[email protected]]