[HanCinema's Korea Joa] Goodbye Korea Joa, And Thank You!

Korea Joa 2015 organized by KOFICE happened in October 2015. It is now February 2016 and I've only now finished my articles on that wonderful adventure. It feels like it is only now ending. In case you're new to my Korea Joa coverage, HanCinema was invited as one of fifteen world sites on Korean culture, Kpop, K-drama, and K-film to represent the international journalist community.

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For ten days KOFICE took the Korea Joa 2015 members all over Seoul and Busan, showing us film festivals, K-pop concerts, Korean cuisine, Korean nightlife, and scoring us some amazing interviews. KOFICE's Kwon Minju was a most gracious host. She, Choi "Julia" Jayoon, and the five translators made us foreigners feel more than welcome and showed us how wonderful Korea is, not just as an exporter of Hallyu, but as a country and a deep-rooted culture. K-pop and drama and film are wonderful, but to see the country that produced it was enlightening - it is still enlightening.

A thank you must be given to the thoughtful, hard-working people who made it all happen. After Korea Joa 2015 I have new colleagues to work with, friends from all over the world, and continuous material for HanCinema to share with you, our readers. A big thanks goes out to you for supporting the site so that it could be chosen by KOFICE as a representative of international fans. Of course, Director General Kim Deok-jung of KOFICE deserves recognition as a man who dedicates himself to spreading Korean culture, but also learning about the cultures of the people he brings to Korea. Kwon Minju, a most humble, sweet, and hard-working woman made the entire trip possible with her tireless efforts. Our translators and bus driver were always there for the members visiting foreign soil. Orion deserves a special thanks as HanCinema's behind the scenes social media guru, video editor, and my consultant while I was busy wrangling the very full Korea Joa schedule. And lastly, to my fellow members, my colleagues and now friends, who were professional, fun, and just as passionate as me and our audience about the continually growing Hallyu wave.

Thank you all for making this possible and helping me create memories that will last a lifetime.

You can find all of our Korea Joa 2015 coverage on this page.

Written by: Raine from 'Raine's Dichotomy'