Cyber Diplomacy Organization VANK, led by Director Park Gi-tae, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Korea (MOFA) held a mentoring session titled “Meet the Diplomat” on July 31, 2026, at the ministry’s headquarters in Seoul. The event brought together 21 outstanding participants from the 14th and 15th cohorts of the Digital Metaverse AI Diplomats program, giving them the opportunity to meet and engage with career diplomats.
The session was organized to recognize the participants’ achievements while encouraging discussions on the evolving role of public diplomacy and the future of diplomacy in the age of generative artificial intelligence.
VANK and MOFA have worked closely since signing a memorandum of understanding in December 2022 to promote public-private cooperation in digital public diplomacy. Through the partnership, the two organizations have sought to expand Korea’s public diplomacy into digital and metaverse spaces.
Their collaboration focuses on training Digital Metaverse Diplomats, promoting Korean culture through social media, and expanding opportunities for young people to participate in public diplomacy. Together, they have operated the Digital Metaverse Diplomats program to empower future generations to strengthen Korea’s national brand while contributing to solutions for global challenges such as climate change.
The initiative selects between 100 and 200 teenagers and young adults each quarter to carry out public diplomacy missions in digital spaces. Outstanding participants receive official appointments as Digital Metaverse Diplomats. VANK oversees the program’s planning and operation, while MOFA supports the initiative through special lectures by career diplomats and policy collaboration.
Since its launch in 2023, participants have produced digital content introducing Korea’s history and culture, built virtual Korean exhibition halls in the metaverse, and proposed public diplomacy initiatives, helping establish a new model of citizen-led public diplomacy.
Beginning with the 14th and 15th cohorts, the program was expanded into the Digital Metaverse AI Diplomats initiative to reflect the rise of generative AI, presenting a new vision for citizen diplomacy in the AI era.
Over the past two decades, VANK’s cyber diplomacy programs have enabled young people to communicate directly with global audiences through the internet and digital platforms, promoting Korea as the heart of Asia, a gateway to Northeast Asia, and a country that shares friendship and aspirations with the world.
However, VANK said the emergence of generative AI has fundamentally changed the landscape of public diplomacy. Beyond shaping how people perceive Korea, ensuring that AI systems accurately understand and describe the country’s history, culture, and identity has become a key factor in strengthening both the nation’s global image and its AI sovereignty.
In response, VANK has broadened the concept of sovereign AI beyond technological independence to include a nation’s ability to ensure AI accurately represents its history, culture, and identity. The organization has introduced AI diplomacy as a new model of citizen-led public diplomacy to achieve that goal.
According to VANK, an AI diplomat is a citizen who helps shape how both people and AI understand and remember Korea. Every piece of content they create contributes to the data AI systems use to learn about the country, making them active participants in preserving and expanding Korea’s historical and cultural record.
Throughout the first half of 2026, members of the 14th and 15th cohorts created digital content promoting Korea’s history and culture, developed metaverse exhibition spaces showcasing the country, and proposed diplomatic, cultural, and tourism policies aimed at strengthening Korea’s national brand.
Participants also went beyond using generative AI as a simple content creation tool, designing and implementing new forms of public diplomacy tailored to the AI era.
During the mentoring session, two outstanding representatives from the 14th and 15th cohorts shared their experiences and reflected on what they had learned through the program. Participants then joined career diplomats in open discussions on the future of Korean public diplomacy, the changing role of diplomats in the AI era, and the responsibilities of global citizens.
Park Sung-hoon, Director of the Public Diplomacy Policy Division at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said the activities of young people promoting Korea through digital platforms have become an important asset for the country’s public diplomacy.
“The creative work demonstrated by the Digital Metaverse AI Diplomats represents a meaningful example of the new possibilities for Korean public diplomacy in the era of generative AI,” he said.
Park Gi-tae, Director of VANK, said protecting how Korea is recorded and remembered has become a new source of national competitiveness in the AI era.
“A country’s brand is no longer shaped solely by government policies,” he said. “The way AI learns about and explains Korea increasingly influences how the world understands the country.”
He stressed that because generative AI is trained on vast amounts of digital information, inaccurate or biased data about Korea can be reproduced and spread globally through AI systems.
“That is why we must continue documenting and preserving Korea’s history, culture, and identity ourselves, creating an environment in which AI can accurately understand and explain our country,” he said.
Park added that citizens in the AI era should not remain passive consumers of AI-generated answers but become active participants in building AI systems that accurately represent Korea.
“Through AI diplomacy, which connects citizens, AI, and the global community, we will continue supporting young people so they see AI not simply as a technology, but as a partner in public diplomacy that helps shape Korea’s future national brand,” he said.
Meanwhile, applications for the 16th cohort of the Digital Metaverse AI Diplomats program, jointly organized by VANK and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, closed on Aug. 2, 2026.
Members of the new cohort will use generative AI and a range of digital platforms to promote Korea’s history and culture, correct misinformation about the country, and continue developing new forms of public diplomacy for the AI era.