The Foreign Language Newspapers Association of Korea, a group of four Korean media outlets publishing newspapers in foreign languages in South Korea, celebrated its ninth anniversary in Seoul on Tuesday. The association comprises three English-language newspapers – The Korea Herald, The Korea Times and The JoongAng Daily – and the Chinese-language The Aju Daily.

Delivering a congratulatory speech, Culture Minister Yu In-chon said the newspapers have fulfilled their mission over the decades by providing swift and accurate reports on South Korea's politics, economy, society and culture to audiences worldwide.

"While foreign media look at Korea through the eyes of outsiders, it is the member companies of the Korean Association of Foreign Language Newspapers that can accurately present Korea from an internal perspective," he said.

"I believe that the role of foreign language newspapers has been significant in helping Korea lead the global trend through K-culture. This is thanks to the passion and efforts of all of you here today."

The association's president, Choi Jin-young, vowed to strengthen collaboration between members to better connect Korea to the global community.

“The role and influence of global media are also growing more than ever. Our association will continue the process of reducing the information gap and connecting Korea and the world,” said Choi, who is also the CEO of Herald Corp. which publishes The Korea Herald.

“I believe that our member companies can create new opportunities through closer cooperation. We will use our collective intelligence to find ways to reach readers beyond the borders of Korea, while also promoting exchanges and cooperation with media outlets representing countries around the world,” he said.

Recognizing the members' role in shaping public perception, American Chamber of Commerce in Korea Chairman and CEO James Kim also stressed the importance of strengthening collaboration to address global challenges.

"I believe we have an exciting future ahead of us as partners. We have the ability to overcome challenges and transfer them into opportunities," he said. "I know we have global challenges these days, but working together with all the different ambassadors here in the room, we can really help Korea become a true leader."

The association also held an awards ceremony to honor journalists who showed outstanding performance and devotion to coverage.

Among the awardees, The Korea Herald’s chief copy editor Paul Kerry received a certificate of excellence.

Kerry was recognized for his contributions to enhancing the content quality of the English-language newspaper as well as for overseeing collaborations among copy editors during his 17-year career as a copy editor and reporter at The Korea Herald, according to the association.