Mislabeled historical facts, mistranslated cultural terms and distorted narratives circulating abroad have long posed a challenge for Korea’s global image. The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism took a major step Thursday toward setting the record straight, officially launching the 21st batch of "Friends of Korea" — a specialized civilian volunteer corps dedicated to tracking down and correcting overseas misinformation.

The kickoff ceremony took place at the KOCIS Center, located on the 10th floor of the Korea Press Center in central Seoul, welcoming both in-person participants and overseas members joining virtually.

Established in 2013 under the initial title "Global Monitoring Group for Error Correction," the Friends of Korea program has evolved into a vital civilian outreach campaign. Over the past decade, more than 780 dedicated volunteers have scoured both online and offline platforms worldwide to safeguard the accuracy of Korean history, language and culture. Whenever inaccuracies are identified, members report them through the government’s dedicated portal, "Facts About Korea," which collaborates with international publishers, websites and institutions to issue formal corrections.

The newly inducted 40-member cohort — comprising 28 Korean citizens and 12 foreign nationals — was selected through a competitive five-week open call launched on June 1. Reflecting the initiative's expanding global reach, the proportion of foreign participants exceeded 30 percent for the first time in the program's history. Seventeen members currently reside abroad across 11 nations, including Indonesia, the United Kingdom and Turkey, bringing invaluable local context and regional perspectives to the group's monitoring efforts.

Thursday's inauguration featured interactive icebreaking sessions, member presentations and preliminary orientation training. Beyond geographic diversity, this term’s cohort boasts rich multidisciplinary expertise, with members possessing specialized backgrounds in media communication, traditional Korean music and fashion — a talent pool the ministry believes will prove instrumental in showcasing the depth and nuance of Korean heritage.

Over their upcoming five-month tenure, the cohort will actively monitor international sources to rectify errors while promoting authentic, high-quality information. The milestone timing coincides with the 10th anniversary of the Facts About Korea portal in September, an occasion the ministry plans to celebrate through online events and promotional videos highlighting the volunteers' real-world impact.

"With the Facts About Korea service marking its 10th anniversary this year, we have high hopes for this class, drawn from 11 countries around the world," said an official at the ministry's public communication bureau, emphasizing that the government remains fully committed to supporting these global advocates as they convey the true story of Korea "beyond the limits of borders and time zones."

This article was published with the assistance of generative AI and edited by The Korea Times.