KOREA FOUNDATION

KF Think Tank Internship
My primary duty thus far has been writing a dissertation on ways to address North Korea’s human rights abuses through the application of international law. Dr. Patrick Koellner, who directed the internship program, provided helpful feedback on my research work, in addition to doing much to help me to adjust to the workplace environment of the German Institute of Global and Area Studies. Hereafter, my role will be shifted to the institute’s Research Program 4, which deals with international relations. This program is headed by Dr. Anja Jetschke, who is highly knowledge-able about regional human rights issues, so I’m looking forward to learning a lot more.

• German Institute of Global and Area Studies, Germany
• Yang Soyun

KF Museum Internship
Upon beginning my assignment, I worked on preparations for the museum’s Chuseok Family Day Festival, which was held on September 13 with support from the KF and Samsung. I was in charge of assigning volunteers to roles that suited their talents. It was a lively festival, featuring Korean traditional games, a K-pop dance workshop, a kite-making activity, performances of samullori (farmer’s percussion group) and daegeum (traditional bamboo flute), and animation screenings. Among the event’s overwhelming turnout of some 4,500 visitors, over 300 participated in the kite-making activities, setting a new record for hands-on experiences at the Victoria and Albert Museum. While explaining the rules for the traditional game of yutnori, demonstrating the techniques for making traditional kites, and elaborating on the festival’s background, I was pleased that all my hard work had contributed to such a positive outcome.

• Victoria and Albert Museum, UK
• Yun Seungyeon

KF Library Internship
I arrived here with a mixture of nervousness and excitement, and then a month has already passed. For the next ten months, my most important responsibility will be arranging the metadata for the digital images of the library’s Visual Information Access (VIA) system, which has made me realize the importance of proper data input. A single typo not only prevents a user from accessing the desired information, but can disrupt the entire system. I will thus continue to do my very best to ensure that all users can eff iciently access the data they need.

• Harvard-Yenching Library, US
• Han Soojung

KF Korean Language Education Internship
I learn something new with every day here at the Korean Language Department at the University of Languages and International Studies at VNU, a large department with considerable influence and vibrant student enrollment. Speaking classes for first- and second-year students emphasize the use of photos and videos, and seeing the students’ passion and interest in learning about Korea is truly inspiring. It was difficult adjusting at first, since I spoke almost no Vietnamese, but the students here have helped me a lot while I continue studying on my own. I intend to do my best to support the students during my time here.

• University of Languages and International Studies, Vietnam National University, Vietnam
• Kim Chaemin

KF European Parliament Traineeship
For the first month of my internship, I focused on updating the files on Korea for the parliament’s quarterly reports on important issues. I spent the first week reading existing reports and data on South and North Korea and China before discussing an expansion of my duties with my supervisor. I continued to update archives during the second week, when about half the parliament’s members convened for a session at its headquarters in Strasbourg, France. During the third week, I took notes for my supervisor during an EU-China workshop session. I also attended a training workshop held at the European Parliamentary Research Service (EPRS) and met with the councilor and secretary of EU affairs at the Korean Embassy in Belgium during the first month of my internship assignment.

• European Parliament, Belgium
• Shim So Yeon