KOREA FOUNDATION

KF Global Challenger Internship Letter

Since last February, I have been interning as a researcher with the Institute of Contemporary International Studies (ICIS) at the Diplomatic Academy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia. Being a doctoral candidate at Moscow State University, I already had a visa and no additional administrative steps were necessary for me to take on the internship at ICIS. All I had to do was pay a visit to the institute in late January to receive an entrance pass and a key to the research room, and I was free to study there from then on. The Academy headquarters houses a library and is close to the Park Kultury metro station, while ICIS is in an independent building not far from Krasnye Vorota Station.
   In February, I began my work for ICIS by meeting the staff to discuss my future research plans. After attending several rounds of meetings, I felt certain that the institute would support me with the research I planned to conduct. Generally, ICIS gives a lot of freedom to its staff and researchers, and I think this will positively affect my research in the days to come.
   In March, I visited the headquarters of the Academy, where multidisciplinary research is carried out on diplomatic subjects outside the scope of ICIS. Anyone with an ICIS pass may freely enter the headquarters, but an official ICIS certificate is required to use the library. A senior official at the library helped me and other ICIS students access the electronic materials so that I could view them at my convenience.
   In April, I presented at a domestic conference as well as at an international seminar, and the related research is currently in the process of publication. Since May, I have been focusing on a research article to be published by the Academy. I receive guidance on the research process along with reviews of its content, which have been most helpful. When it is completed, I plan to submit this article to a Russian journal. As this article will conclude the research I had outlined in my prospectus, I am pouring my heart and soul into the project. Until my time as an intern comes to a close, I want to do my best as a researcher and experience as much as I can.

KF Think Tank Internship Diplomatic Academy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation
Yujeong Kim

Russia Diplomacy Academy Internship