A rare singing contest that pitted several foreign envoys in Seoul and Koreans took place at the German ambassador’s residence in Seongbuk-dong, Seoul on Tuesday evening.

Organized by Corea Image Communication Institute, the singing contest was part of the CICI logo song launch event. The seven contestants ― German Ambassador Hans Ulrich Seidt and his wife Marita Seidt, Singapore Ambassador Peter Tan, Swiss embassy counsellor Raoul Imbach, Kumho Asiana Culture Foundation vice president Kim Yong-yeon, Zuellig Pharma Korea president Christophe Piganiol and Susan Ling, Daeheung president Kim Sheena and Bureau Veritas Korea head Joseph Young ― sang “Four Seasons of Love,” written and composed by Yang Jin-seok, an architect and singer-song writer. 

The first prize went to Kim Sheena while the German envoy couple received the Most Popular Award.

The event was attended by some 70 foreign diplomats, businessmen and cultural figures.

“I was inspired by the popularity of Korean idol groups overseas. I thought that if we had a song promoting Korea, we could spread the word about Korea through the song,” said CiCi president Choi Jung-wha.

“I think it is an effective way to promote Korea,” she said. The videos of Tuesday night’s singing contest and performance by singer Woo Jung-hoon will be made available on YouTube, she added.

Other guests at Tuesday’s event included Slovakia Ambassador Dusan Bella, Ireland Ambassador Eamonn Mckee, Israel Ambassador Tuvia Israeli, Japan Ambassador Muto Masatoshi, Peru Ambassador Marcela Lopez-Bravo, Russian Ambassador Konstantin Vnukov, EU Ambassador Tomasz Kozlowski, and Kai Wang, wife of the Austrian ambassador.

By Kim Hoo-ran (khooran@heraldcorp.com)