Announcing the Winners of the Korea-US Public Diplomacy Ideas Contest 2021

The HUFS Center on Media Diplomacy and Center on Public Diplomacy at the University of Southern California is pleased to announce the winners of our first Korea-US Public Diplomacy Ideas Contest. The winners of “Biggest Idea” are:

   Ethan Sean McAndrews, Yenching Academy of Peking University, for The Case for the US-ROK eSports Cup

   Jimin Han, Ewha Woman’s University, for ROK-US Youth Public Diplomacy Hybrid Camp

   Shane Kim, University of Southern California, for The ESG Proposal

   Hye-won Seo, Hankuk University of Foreign Studies, for [THANK-U]: KOREA – US Cultural Exchange Scholarship



Ethan Sean McAndrews discusses “e-Sports provides the ideal catalyst for a new generation of US-ROK public diplomacy. The US-ROK e-Sports Cup is a biennial, head-to-head competition between each country’s top gaming talent. The diplomatic amplification of e-Sports, already widely popular in both countries, represents a modern evolution in US-ROK engagement. Fans, athletes, and performers are empowered to conduct cultural exchange in a natural, non-didactic manner. The Cup’s innovative approach to public diplomacy will ensure mutual understanding prospers for generations to come.”

Jimin Han suggests “The young generation is the national power, as young people are the most dynamic driving force of a global society and a new generation representing the future of that society. Communication acts as an important element of public diplomacy. Therefore, the establishment of the 'ROK-US Youth Public Diplomacy Hybrid Camp' will be effective for public diplomacy.” She believes this camp project will strengthen ROK-U.S’s Public Diplomacy interests while enforcing the alliance of ROK-U.S.

SeungHwan (Shane) Kim proposes an ESG approach, which stands for "environment, social, and governance." He thinks this approach will enable the US-ROK alliance to utilize public diplomacy to solve climate change and health crises but sustain democratic values, which will later strengthen the ties in the long run.

Hye-won Seo presents a "THANK-U" scholarship and international exchange program to help US students who are interested in Korean studies, culture, economics, and politics and who wish to advance their academic and professional experience in related fields. She believes that this scholarship will not only help to inspire the next generation of leaders for Korea-US ties but will also help to improve the two countries' public diplomacy relationships.

The winning proposals were selected through an anonymous evaluation process that took into account the novelty of the idea, its impact on public diplomacy, practical applicability, and the overall quality of the proposal. Given the limited number of proposals received, the committee determined that awarding the "Biggest Idea" award to all four contest winners is fair and reasonable. Each of the winners has also been awarded a $500 cash prize.

For more about Korea-US Public Diplomacy Ideas Contest, you can visit this page.