KOREA FOUNDATION

KF Global Challengers Internship Letter

I am currently serving an internship at the Chicago Council on Global Affairs. One of the largest events sponsored by the Council is the Chicago Forum on Global Cities, which was held in June of this year. It deals with a variety of themes related to cities, including welfare, environment, information, and city planning. Every year it is attended by a large number of academics, officials, and researchers from around the world.

  Council staff are free to participate in each of the sessions organized at the forum, and I was able to attend a workshop on city diplomacy, a subject that I have a deep personal interest in. The workshop was full of discussions about the changing roles and values of cities incurred by their emergence as a new actor in the state-centered international community. Just as captivating as the theme and content of the discussions was the unrestricted exchange of opinions and debate among the speakers and other participants.

  I have also made significant progress in my own research during my internship. As a member of the Public Opinion Team, I selected a theme through which I can make the best use of public opinion surveys and have been analyzing the conservative swing of Japanese youths based on numerous survey results. The mass media, based on the high approval ratings enjoyed by the ruling conservative political party, report that Japanese youth are growing more conservative. My research and analysis takes a different view of these developments, in that I don’t approach the matter from simple approval ratings but from a perspective that the political attitudes of young citizens are changing.

  I have also spent some time familiarizing myself with the Windy City. The summer in Chicago is busy with colorful festivals and events for citizens, such as exhibitions, performances, and markets. During my lunch break and on weekends, I enjoy the city’s rich culture. As the formation of city identity and local community activities greatly appeal to me, I am actively taking part in the programs of the Chicago History Museum, too. This comes with the added benefit that the more I engage in these programs, the better I get to know and like the city of Chicago.

KF Think Tank Internship Chicago Council on Global Affairs, United States Joohyun Kwon

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