The Republic of Korea’s first female ambassador to the UK, H.E. Ms. Enna Park made an official visit to UAL’s London College of Fashion (LCF) this month; meeting staff, students and alumni to share discussion and ideas around fashion, collaboration and education.
Visiting UAL in her first year as Ambassador, Ambassador Park was welcomed by UAL and LCF staff including Professor Frances Corner OBE, Head of London College of Fashion; Juliette Sargeant, UAL Head of International Relations, Paul Yuille, Director of International, London College of Fashion; John Lau, Associate Dean: School of Design and Technology, London College of Fashion and Hamish Croker, LCF Alumni Officer.
Ambassador Park heard students’ opinions on studying and life in London as well as their experiences in relation to key international themes including visas, scholarships and opportunities to stay and work in the city post-graduation. She encouraged students to pursue their dream in London and in the global fashion industry and hoped that they can contribute to promoting collaboration between Korea and the UK.
Professor Corner spoke about fashion, collaboration, student futures, current partnerships and staff and knowledge exchange between UAL and South Korea.
Director International Relations Unit at UAL, Juliette Sargeant said:
UAL highly values its connections to South Korea. Our partnership with EWHA Womans University though LCF has been developing over the last five years, and our connections to government and cultural organisations are also very important with ongoing collaborations for new knowledge generation and exchange.
We have a vibrant and thriving alumni community in Seoul. The visit of the Ambassador was a great opportunity for our current and recent LCF students from Korea to get together and network while still in London, and we will work with the Embassy to see how we might deepen our connections to benefit our Korean student community across the University.
Student Semin Kim, MA Strategic Fashion Marketing at London College of Fashion said:
Through the meeting with Frances and Ambassador Park, I gained great insights from the stories of fellow Korean students as well as LCF alumni who have successfully built careers in London. Ambassador Park's kind words were encouraging and made me feel more proud to be Korean.
UAL has an active Korean Alumni Association based in Seoul. Representing UAL's body of 3,400 Korean alumni, it showcases the talents of Korean-based UAL graduates, helping the community to build networks, develop relationships and identify new opportunities. A recent UAL alumni event in Seoul was attended by approx 100 of the city's UAL alumni.
Photo by Hamish Croker shows Professor Frances Corner greeting Ambassador Park.