Cyber Diplomacy Organization VANK (Voluntary Agency Network of Korea), led by Director Park Gi-tae, and the Korean Schools of Northern California (KSNC), headed by President Kwak Eun-ah, are launching a project to train “AI Diplomats” for teachers at Korean schools in Northern California in the United States.
As part of the initiative, the two organizations will hold a training program titled “We Are Korea’s AI Diplomats” for Korean school teachers in Northern California during the 2026 spring teacher training session.
The program will be held as a traveling teacher training initiative in the Bay Area and Sacramento regions. It will take place in two sessions for teachers from Korean-language schools affiliated with the Korean Schools of Northern California: at 4 p.m. on March 21, 2026, and at 6 p.m. on March 23, 2026 (local time). During the sessions, Director Park will deliver a lecture titled “We Are Korea’s AI Diplomats.” VANK Researcher Kwon So-young will speak on “Promoting Korea’s History and Culture Using AI,” while VANK researcher Koo Seung-hyun will present a lecture on “Introducing Korea Correctly Using AI.”
The Korean Schools of Northern California (KSNC) is an association of Korean-language schools in the Northern California region. Since its establishment in 1991, it has provided Korean language education while also teaching Korean history and culture, playing a leading role in educating the next generation and fostering cultural identity. It currently includes 28 schools, about 150 teachers, and more than 1,000 students.
Since November 2025, VANK and KSNC have also been jointly running the “Junior Leaders Project,” in which students from Korean-language schools participate directly. The program encourages students to create digital content on various topics, including Korean Wave stars in Korean history, the immigration history of overseas Koreans, and independence activists in the Americas. The project then develops these materials into global promotional campaigns to share them with the world.
VANK said it believes it is important for Korean school teachers to develop “AI literacy,” enabling them to critically analyze information generated by AI and select accurate knowledge, rather than relying solely on the convenience of AI or its algorithms. The organization noted that content about Korean history and culture produced by generative AI still contains errors and distortions, and warned that even a single incorrect image or explanation could damage the identity of Korea’s history and culture.
In response, VANK and KSNC plan to conduct hands-on activities during the training sessions in which teachers and students will work together to create digital content introducing Korea’s history and culture accurately using AI. Through the program, they aim to support the next generation of students so they can grow into “Korea’s AI diplomats” who lead digital public diplomacy in the age of AI.
Park said the key to diplomacy in the AI era is “localization.” “With AI, we can now produce content that is both deeply Korean and truly global, tailored to the culture and sentiment of more than 200 countries around the world,” he explained. He added that Korean school teachers and next-generation students are in an ideal position because they understand both Korean and American cultures. “Through this training, we hope to help them grow into ‘AI diplomats’ who use AI as a partner and introduce Korea to the world in their own way,” he said.
Kwak, president of the KSNC, said the training is meaningful because it will allow Korean-language school teachers to use the latest AI technology to provide students with more engaging and vivid education about Korean history and culture. “We hope this program will give both teachers and students the opportunity to experience the role of ‘AI diplomats’ representing Korea,” she said. “We also expect what teachers learn through this training to be reflected in classroom lessons, helping students understand Korea’s history and culture correctly and grow into people who share it with the world.”
VANK researcher Kwon said that as the AI era arrives, the way Korea is introduced to the world is also changing. “Just as we now use AI to search for information, it has become possible to use AI effectively in activities that promote Korea,” she said. “Teachers at Korean schools in the United States understand both local American society and Korean culture, and they know better than anyone how to explain these topics effectively to students and the community. If AI’s advanced analysis and writing capabilities are added to this, it could become a new model of public diplomacy that presents Korea accurately in the AI era.”
VANK researcher Koo also stressed the importance of digital literacy. “In an era when the data AI learns and each answer it generates can spread as knowledge around the world, efforts are needed to ensure that Korea’s identity and cultural heritage are not recognized in distorted forms,” she said. “This is why the digital literacy of Korean-language school teachers and students—who can critically review AI-generated information and provide the correct historical context—is becoming even more important.”