Korean Student Wins World’s Biggest Advertising Festival

A Korean student studying in New York won the highest award at the One Show Festival, one of the three most prestigious advertising festivals in the world, along with the Cannes International Advertising Festival and the D&AD London.

Yi Je-seok, 26, who majored in visual design at Keimyung University, went to the U.S. last year to attend the School of Visual Arts in New York City. He won the Gold Award in the innovative marketing category last Thursday.

“I’m honored to receive the award in the innovative marketing section, a new category made this year, at the One Show international advertising contest,” Yi was quoted as saying by the Yonhap News Agency.

The One Show was established in 1975 and the innovative marketing section, a new category this year, is also referred to as “Guerrilla Advertising.”

This year’s event was held under the theme of raising awareness for environmental pollution with some 2,000 participants from 28 countries. Yi submitted an advertisement piece, titled “Air Pollution kills 60,000 People a Year.”

Yi, who is working as an intern at the JWT advertising agency, said, “I’d like to return to Korea after gaining experience at a prestigious American firm and to raise the standard of the Korean advertising industry to an international level.”