KF뉴스레터-The KF Global Challengers Program

KF Korean Language Education Internship

The Youth of Korea Embracing the Thousand-Year Spirit of Eurasia,
A Six-Month Journey of Immersion into Eurasian Ideals

My activities and work during the KF internship program at the Diplomatic Academy (DA) of the Russian Foreign Ministry mainly consist of two parts: conducting scholarly work on my research paper under the tutorship of a supervisory professor and providing educational assistance for a Korean language class at the DA.
  First, I visit the research department of the DA near the Krasnye Vorota metro station two to three times a week as part of my research. There, I have online access to a number of academic resources provided by Russian scholars, and I consult with my supervisory professor, Mr. Andrei G. Volodin, the chief researcher at the Center for Eurasian Studies under the DA’s Institute of Contemporary International Studies (ICIS).
  Through my research, I aim to reach a hermeneutic interpretation of the concepts of greater Eurasian integration promoted by the three major Eurasian powers—Russia, China, and India—and study their role in regional and international institutions. Regarding this work, I have been guided by Professor Volodin and other senior researchers of the ICIS in terms of defining research subtopics, developing scientific logic, and finding scholarly literature.
  Second, I visit the DA’s foreign language center near the Park Kultury metro station to provide teaching assistance as needed. The DA opened a Korean language class last semester, and six Russian students have studied Korean under the tutorship of a Russian senior lecturer, Mr. Evgeniy Valkovich, a former diplomat with experience working at the Russian consulates in both South and North Korea. On occasion, I accompany Mr. Valkovich in the class to help him and his students understand various points of Korean grammar, vocabulary, and expressions that are not easily understood without an explanation by a native speaker.
  Aside from my activities and work directly related to the KF internship program, I have taken part in a variety of seminars, conferences, and other academic events organized by the DA and other institutions in Moscow. Thanks to the invitations from the vice-rector of research, Mr. Oleg Ivanov, I participated in several informative and interesting events such as a speech by the Foreign Minister of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Mr. Elmar Mammadyarov on Azerbaijani-Russian relations, and a video conference with the acting director of the NATO information office in Moscow, Mr. Robert Pszczel.
  To make the most of my remaining months before the end of the KF internship program at the DA, I have been developing my research and designing important plans for my future career. In addition, I continue to participate in academic and social events so that I can broaden and deepen my understanding not only of contemporary political and economic issues in Russia, but also of the country’s unique historical issues and cultural features. Above all, I have been doing my best to write a high-quality research paper to be used for publication and application to a Ph.D. program on international relations at a Russian educational institute in Moscow after the internship.