FILA chief receives award for strengthening Seoul-Washington ties

The chairman of South Korean fashion company FILA Holdings Corp., Yoon Yoon-soo, has received the Van Fleet Award for his dedication to strengthening relations between his country and the United States, the company said Wednesday. Yoon, also chairman of FILA's affiliate Acushnet Holdings Corp., was honored at the annual ceremony hosted by the Korea Society, a nonprofit U.S. organization dedicated to promoting Korea-U.S. ties in New York on Sept. 30 (local time). "His leadership at FILA and Acushnet has been instrumental in fostering deeper collaboration between our two countries," Thomas Byrne, president and CEO of the Korea Society, said in a statement released by FILA. Yoon said the progress FILA has made in the global fashion industry is a "testament" to the strength of U.S.-Korea ties. He was the co-honoree this year alongside South Korean golf icon Pak Se-ri. Named after Gen. James A. Van Fleet, commander of the U.S. Eighth Army at the height of the Korean War in 1951, the highly acclaimed award ha s annually been given to those who have made notable contributions to the bilateral relationship. Former honorees include former U.S. President George W. Bush, South Korea's late President Kim Dae-jung, former U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and global business leaders, such as Samsung Group's late Chairman Lee Kun-hee and Hyundai Motor Group's Honorary Chairman Chung Mong-koo. Source: Yonhap News Agency