SEOUL, May 16 (AJP) - Veteran South Korean columnist Choe Chong-dae has published a collection of essays spanning nearly half a century of international dialogue, chronicling South Korea's evolving global presence. The book, titled "Bridging Cultures: The Korea Times Columns of a Citizen Diplomat (1979~2025)", captures his experiences as a cultural advocate and lifelong researcher since he began writing in 1979.
The volume explores diplomatic history, democratization and South Korean studies through the perspective of a participant-observer. Scholars Alok Kumar and Frank M. Tedesco, who contributed forewords to the collection, described the work as a valuable resource for understanding modern South Korean history and diplomacy.
Choe's devotion to South Korean cultural identity was partly inspired by his late father, Choe Nam-ju, a pioneer of South Korean archaeology. The elder Choe participated in the excavation of the ancient Silla Golden Crown alongside the Swedish crown prince, who later became King Gustaf VI Adolf.
This early connection to Sweden foreshadowed Choe's own diplomatic recognition decades later. In 2010, Swedish King Carl XVI Gustaf awarded Choe the Royal Order of the Polar Star for his contributions to international relations and cultural exchange.
Throughout his career, Choe has examined diplomatic relations between South Korea and numerous European nations, including Belgium, Greece, Germany and Poland. He has also focused extensively on globalizing the heritage of Gyeongju, writing about artifacts such as the Seokguram Grotto and the Divine Bell of King Seongdeok to introduce South Korean history to international readers.
Beyond his media columns, Choe has pursued academic research and translation. He published a paper on humanistic egalitarianism in Donghak, South Korea's native religion, in the 2023 volume of the Transactions of the Royal Asiatic Society Korea, which included accessible English translations of its major scriptures.
The new book also features his essay "Greece and Korea: A Living Dialogue Between Civilizations," originally published by AJP Press in November 2025. A 2007 column about Queen Margrethe II was also previously featured on an unofficial Danish royal message board.
Following the book's release, Choe presented copies of the collection to Bruno Jans and Loukas Tsokos. The handover took place during the Europe Day 2026 reception at the Four Seasons Hotel Seoul on May 8, 2026.
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