Graduate student Seo Young-im (Master's Program, Department of Archaeology & Anthropology) received the Encouragement Award for Outstanding Paper at the recently held 2021 Korean Association for Regional Culture Fall Conference.

The conference, themed 'Regional Futures: Cultural Coexistence and Connectivity,' was held simultaneously at the Gimhae Cultural Center in a format that also included webinars.

Seo Young-im, the recipient of the Encouragement Award for Outstanding Paper, earned the honor by presenting a paper titled 'Authenticity in Traditional Cultural Tourism of Jeonju Hanok Village: Focusing on Hanok Landscape.'

Seo is conducting academic research aimed at addressing local community issues through culture, receiving scholarship support from Jeonbuk National University (JBNU)'s Department of Archaeology & Anthropology and the 4th Phase BK21 Project Division, 'Education and Research Team for Overcoming Regional Crises in the Anthropocene through the Study and Application of Culture and Civilization (Expert-RACC, Director: Professor Lee Jeong-deok)'.

Seo Young-im said, 'Through the results of this conference, I will continue to devote efforts to academic research and other initiatives to revitalize traditional cultural tourism in Jeonju Hanok Village,' adding, 'Developing cultural tourism that utilizes tradition will be a key driving force for local community development.'

Meanwhile, the Korean Association for Regional Culture, which organized the conference, actively conducts research to advance culture—such as expanding the diversity of regional cultures and creating cultural cities—in order to improve the quality of life for local residents.