□ Kim Yongrak, former professor at Kyungwoon University, was inaugurated as the founding
president of the Korean Foundation for International Cultural Exchange (KOFICE) in a ceremony
held at the KOFICE conference hall in Mapo-gu, Seoul, on February 14 at 10 a.m. attended by all
KOFICE staff.

□ Kim, 58, made his debut as a poet in 1984 through Finally Poets, an anthology of poetry published
by Changbi Publishers. He then served as the Cultural Editor of Daegu Ilbo, Dean of Administrative
and Academic Affairs and chairperson of the International Business Committee at the now-closed
Kyongbuk University of Foreign Studies, and later as a professor of Kyungwoon University. Having a
solid network of people not only in the field of literature but in other genres of arts and culture, Kim
has been viewed as the right person to herald innovation and growth at KOFICE.

□ In his inaugural speech, Kim said, “I will do my best in building a hub for networking Korea and
the world through culture.” He said he would make utmost efforts to make KOFICE into the center of
linking all related institutions in and outside Korea, and to enable it to function as a think tank that
works out ways of promoting international cultural exchange.

□ The KOFICE has entered a new era of operation with its former organization expanded and
revamped on January 9, 2018. Having six teams in three departments, KOFICE was designated as the
Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism’s sole institution responsible for international cultural
exchange. KOFICE’s main responsibilities are planning and supporting customized cultural exchange,
strengthening intermediary role for cultural exchange, training of professionals for cultural exchange,
and enhancing surveys and research in the field of cultural exchange.