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  Prologue

 

 

One slightly rainy Saturday afternoon on April 14, 2018, the 2018 Global Seoul Mate Induction Ceremony took place within the grounds of Namsangol Hanok Village. 
Our very first meeting with all the Mates was full of great anticipation and excitement.

 

 

 

  A Special Time in the Tranquility of Hanok Houses

 

 

The 2018 Global Seoul Mate Induction Ceremony was full of special events. Namsangol Hanok village, the venue in which our ceremony took place, was also very special in itself.

 

The shadowed eaves of the hanok roofs, the porch where we had to take off our shoes, the tiny stone walls separating the houses...

Everything about the place continued to spark the curiosity and interest of our many Mates.

 

 

 

  Our First Meeting

 

The induction ceremony, which took place in Gugakdang of Namsangol Hanok Village, was divided roughly into three parts.

Part 1 ▶ Welcome Speech/ Program Explanation

Part 2 ▶ Team Assignment/ Team Networking
Part 3 ▶ Traditional Experience Program

 

 

In the first part, the Seoul Metropolitan Government and Seoul Tourism Organization delivered their opening speeches to relay their thanks to the participating members of our Global Seoul Mate program. The manager of the 2018 Global Seoul Mate program also pledged to make this year an amazing success.

 

 

Close to 100 foreigners, hailing from 34 different countries, were selected to be part of the 2018 Global Seoul Mate program. Divided into 12 different teams, the Mates will be taking part in various promotional activities to promote the city of Seoul for 2018. 

The Mates introduced themselves and got to know each other through the induction ceremony. It was awkward at first, but soon everyone was chatting and having fun getting to know each other.

 

 

 

  Special Memories

 

 

A surprise team mission was given out during the ceremony! Each team had to take unique pictures with a given pose and upload it on their social media accounts!
Our Mates really took it upon themselves to create some really amazing photos! We hope they were able to get even closer through this team mission :)

 

 

 

After the ceremony ended, there were special experience programs awaiting our Mates.

 

 

Experience Program 1 : Making Korean Rice Cakes

 

 

Following the clear instructions of a teacher wearing hanbok, everyone was easily able to make their own delicious-looking rice cakes.

 

 

Experience Program 2 : Making Traditional Scent Pouches

 

 

Even scent can be classified as something strictly Korean and traditional. 
After learning about the different natural Korean scents, Mates combined scents they liked into a pouch to make "Hyangnang", a scent pouch. 

Everyone looked extremely focused as they learned about the traditional Korean scents and culture.

 

 

After completing their scent pouches, the Mates sat back to admire their work!

Maybe it's because everyone worked so hard on making them, but the beautiful pouches kept drawing our eyes.

 

 

 

  Epilogue

 

Our Mates were able to strengthen their bonds through this short event.

We hope everyone had a great time and were able to make special memories through this event.

We look forward to seeing what new, amazing things they'll show us about Seoul!