{
  "id": 7960255,
  "title": "Korea Foundation honors US Peace Corps vets for decades of grassroots diplomacy",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/17/korea-foundation-honors-us-peace-corps-vets-for-decades-of-grassroots-7960255",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-17T05:52:04.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Korea Times",
    "slug": "the-korea-times",
    "url": "https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/southkorea/20260917/korea-foundation-honors-us-peace-corps-vets-for-decades-of-grassroots-diplomacy"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The Korea Foundation (KF) recently awarded the 10th Korea Foundation Award to Friends of Korea (FoK) in recognition of the nonprofit's long-standing grassroots diplomacy efforts and commitment to strengthening relationships between Korea and the United States. FoK, established in 2002 by former U.S. Peace Corps volunteers who served in Korea from the 1960s to the 1980s, has been working tirelessly for over two decades to deepen mutual understanding between the two nations.\n\nThe Peace Corps initially sent thousands of young Americans to teach English and support rural development in Korea. Over time, FoK has meticulously compiled an extensive historical archive of those early missions while actively promoting Korean culture in the U.S. through various public education initiatives, publishing, and community outreach programs.\n\nAt the award ceremony, FoK Chairman Gerard Krzic and board member Jenna Gibson graciously accepted the prestigious honor on behalf of the group. They presented KF President Song Gui-do with a commemorative plaque titled \"Sixty Years of Friendship,\" symbolizing the lasting legacy of the Peace Corps' impact in Korea. This celebration of enduring cross-cultural bonds highlighted the remarkable journey of these two nations over the past six decades.",
  "summary": "The Korea Foundation (KF) presented the 10th Korea Foundation Award to Friends of Korea (FoK), Wednesday, at The Plaza Hotel in Seoul, honoring the nonprofit for its decades of grassroots diplomacy and dedication to fostering ties between Korea and the United States. Founded in 2002 by former U.S. Peace Corps volunteers who served in Korea from the 1960s through the 1980s, FoK has spent over two…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "The Korea Times",
        "title": "Korea Foundation honors US Peace Corps vets for decades of grassroots diplomacy",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/17/korea-foundation-honors-us-peace-corps-vets-for-decades-of-grassroots",
        "published": "2026-09-17T05:22:04.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}