The Corea Image Communication Institute awarded those who contributed to enhancing South Korea's image globally at the Korea Image Award ceremony held at the InterContinental Seoul Coex in southern Seoul, on Wednesday.

This year's awards were given to Hyundai Motor's luxury vehicle brand Genesis, Swiss architect Mario Botta, Korean operatic pop tenor Lim Hyung-joo and French pansori singer Mafo Laure.

Some 500 guests, including head of the Presidential Committee of National Cohesion Kim Han-gil, CJ Group Chairman Sohn Kyung-shik, JoongAng Media Network Chairman and CEO Hong Seok-hyun, French Ambassador to Korea Philippe Bertoux and Italian Ambassador to Korea Emilia Gatto, participated in the event.

Head of the Presidential Committee of National Cohesion Kim Han-gil said during his opening congratulatory remarks that he recognized CICI's objective is to promote Korea's image worldwide, with the organization inviting international leaders and providing them with the opportunity to experience the Korean culture.

"This is a meaningful and significant initiative aimed at fostering cultural understanding and communication on a global scale," he said.

"If CICI plays the pivotal role of the mast (of a ship) in introducing Korea to foreigners, providing them with experiences, and ultimately fostering a positive perception of Korea -- the Presidential Committee of National Cohesion is committed to vigorously rowing the oars, in support of that ship," he added.

Swiss Ambassador to Korea Dagmar Schmidt Tartagli added during her opening congratulatory remarks that she was delighted to see active cultural ties and personal exchanges flourishing, with the exchanges leading to an elevated cultural standing of Korea globally.

The Korea Image Stepping Stone Award, which is bestowed upon individuals or businesses who played a part in advancing South Korea's image internationally, was awarded to Hyundai Motor's luxury vehicle brand, Genesis.

"We believe in providing our customers with the most comfortable and safest means of transportation in the world, and we place the highest value on this commitment," said Global Head of Genesis Mike Song, during the awards ceremony.

"We have consistently strived for innovation and impeccable quality, which led to a significant achievement last September, reaching the milestone of sales of one million units of car in just seven years and ten months. (...) We aim to become a brand that aims to please every shareholder on the global stage," he added.

Swiss architect Mario Botta was awarded the Korea Image Stepping Stone Bridge Award, in recognition of his design of Korean landmarks such as the Leeum Museum of Art and Kyobo Gangnam Tower.

"The longer I've known Korea, the more I think, ‘Korea is the future.’ In the past, Korea was a country and a society that rose from the tragedy of war. Now it’s a country that has grown tremendously," said Botta via a recorded video.

Lim Hyung-joo, a Korean operatic pop tenor, was awarded with the Korea Image Capstone Award, for promoting the "popera" genre in Korea, while Mafo Laure, a French pansori singer, was bestowed with the Korea Image Flowerstone Award for enhancing the country's image -- by delivering complex ancient Korean expressions through the medium of pansori.

The ceremony was wrapped up with toasts delivered by CJ Group Chairman Sohn Kyung-shik, JoongAng Media Network Chairman and CEO Hong Seok-hyun and Singaporean Ambassador to Korea Eric Teo.

During the awards ceremony, CICI also announced the results of its survey, which aimed to analyze foreigners' perceptions of Korea.

The survey asked 210 Koreans and 210 foreign nationals who had experience living in Korea from Dec. 11, 2023 to Saturday, about how people outside Korea view it.

In response to a question regarding the best measure to enhance Korea's image on the global stage, both the Korean national respondents (73.81 percent) and foreign national respondents (91.9 percent) selected improving the culture of excessive competition as the top priority.

Both the Korean nationals (35.7 percent) and foreign nationals (20.9 percent) identified the abolition of complex administrative regulations as the second most important measure in enhancing Korea's image.

When asked about the cultural aspect of Korea people from outside the country had the most difficulty adjusting to, 89.5 percent of the foreign respondents selected the age-based hierarchical culture in Korea.

Some 82.8 percent of the Korean nationals selected the same answer when asked about the cultural aspect that foreign nationals would have the most difficulty identifying with.

The survey further showed that 89.5 percent of the foreign respondents ranked friendly and prompt service as their top answer, when asked what was the most convenient aspect of living in Korea.

Meanwhile, 86.1 percent of the Korean respondents said that foreign nationals would most likely consider the nation's high-speed internet and Wi-Fi as the most convenient part of living in the country.

Excluding K-pop, K-movies, K-dramas, K-food and K-beauty, both the Korean (66.67 percent) and foreign (87.62 percent) national respondents ranked games as a field in which Korea could establish itself as a powerhouse globally.

When asked about the genre in which Korea enjoys the most influence in the music market, excluding K-pop, both the Korean respondents (68.1 percent) and foreign respondents (91.4 percent) selected classical music.