Some 6,000 Rotarians from 160 countries, many dressed in the traditional costume of their home countries, gathered in the South Korean capital to begin the 2016 Rotary International Seoul Convention’s first official event – the 3km Walk for Peace.
Starting from Seoul City Hall Plaza, early on May 28, the walk brought participants to Gwanghwamun Square before returning to Seoul Plaza in a cheerful procession.
The event was organised as a way for Rotarians to introduce themselves to Seoul while showing solidarity for global peace. The event marked the official start of the 2016 Rotary International Convention, taking place until June 1, in the cities of Goyang and Seoul. The convention is expected to draw 25,000 foreign participants from 160 nations and 50,000 total participants when accounting for local attendees.
The 6,000 Rotarians on the 3km walk hailed from all levels of the 2016 Rotary International Convention including current Rotary International president, K.R. Ravindran and Rotarians from abroad and locally.
Public officials, such as Seoul Mayor Park Won Soon, as well as several ambassadors to the Republic of Korea, including the United States, German, Egyptian, British, and Irish emissaries, also took part in the walk.
Mayor Park told the gathering: “We will all walk together in a spirit of peace and with a wish for a world without war. With warm hearts and hopes for world peace, we can change the future.”
A special photo exhibit highlighting the 111 years of Rotary’s community service was set up at Gwanghwamun Square, the halfway, turnaround point of the walk. On the return walk back to Seoul plaza, participants were joined by a traditional Korean folk percussion team instilling a burst of Korean spirit for the procession’s climax.
The Seoul metropolitan government formed a support team to help oversee the convention. Prior to, and during the convention, Seoul promoted the convention such as within the city’s public transportation systems and the city’s tourism homepage.
The city also organised emergency fire, and health care officials to be on hand for the convention’s various events in Seoul and arranged for popular annual festivals, such as the Seoul Drum Festival and Jeongdong Culture Night, to coincide with the convention’s dates.
Seoul also put together a coupon book featuring deals from some of the Seoul MICE Alliance’s top venues for the Rotary Convention participants. Following the 3K Walk for Peace, participants also had the opportunity to join guided city tours organized and offered by Seoul city for business event participants to some of the capital’s top attractions such as Gwangjang Market, Gyeongbokgung Palace, Dongdaemun Design Plaza, and other sites.
Other services offered by Seoul for the convention included financial support, a Seoul Welcome Booth during the convention, 5,000 Welcome Kits, public transport cards, welcome greeting messages for arriving participants at Incheon International Airport, and operational and personnel support from trained MICE Supporters.
Lisa Salom, a Rotarian from Houston, Texas, and a first-time visitor to Seoul, said: “Seoul is such a beautiful city. The people are some of the nicest I’ve ever met and I’m blown away at how everything was well-organised by the city.”
For more details on Seoul's support services, click here
