The Korea Times
A diplomat sang a love song in Korean. A veteran actor performed Elvis. A Spanish-born broadcaster in hanbok belted out a Korean ballad. Together, they made the case for what the evening's organizers called the twin engines of Korean culture's global rise: the power to create and the power to communicate. The 17th annual Culture Communication Forum (CCF), organized by the Corea Image Communication Institute (CICI), was held Thursday evening at the Italian ambassador's residence in Seoul, drawing more than 50 diplomats, business leaders and cultural figures. Ambassadors from Italy, Belgium, Singapore, Peru and Luxembourg attended, along with Jin Roy Ryu, chairman of Poongsan Group and the Federation of Korean Industries, and Kim Jung-soo, chairman of Samyang Foods. Italian Ambassador Emilia Gatto set the tone early, delivering her welcome remarks in Korean. "This is really the house of all Koreans, all Italians and all friends of Korea and Italy," she told guests. She later closed the evening's "Hidden Talent Challenge" with a performance of Jimmy Fontana's 1965 classic "Il Mondo," sung w
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