SEOUL– TV personality Justin John Harvey from South Africa and eight other foreigners will receive honorary Seoul citizenship Wednesday in recognition of their contributions to the city and good deeds, the city government said.
Harvey was chosen for rescuing a person attempting suicide at the Han River, while Indian national Sushant Sahastrabuddhe was selected for leading a COVID-19 vaccine development project with South Korean companies as the longest-serving foreigner at the Seoul-based International Vaccine Institute.
Cameroon-born French pansori singer Laure Mafo and Italian-born Catholic priest Christophe Berard, whose Korean name is Ha Dae-geon, also put their names on the list. Mafo has worked to introduce pansori, a Korean traditional solo opera, to Europe and Africa, while Berard helped youths and refugees in South Korea during his 17-year residence here.
Ahrorojon Boqiev, the head of the third Seoul council of foreign residents, will become the first honorary Seoul citizen from Tajikistan. Tajikistan is the 100th country to produce an honorary Seoul citizen, according to the city government.
Since launching the award in 1958, the Seoul city government has granted honorary citizenship to a total of 891 foreign nationals, including the nine who will receive the status in the afternoon.
Source: Yonhap News Agency