KOREA FOUNDATION

KF Global Challenger Internship Letter

I’ve been working as a junior researcher at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in Washington, DC, since last August. My internship will continue through the end of January 2020. CSIS has a perfect environment, with excellent facilities for its employees. All office cubicles are transparent, enabling effective and instant communication within each team and among departments.
   At the start of my internship, I did detailed research on the political situation on the Korean Peninsula and also gathered and translated news articles on North Korean missiles. Both assignments were temporary, but I found them very rewarding because they were the first responsibilities I carried out at CSIS. After that, Marie DuMond (Associate Director and Associate Fellow in the Office of the Korea Chair) suggested that I join a long-term project. As a result, I’ll be doing research related to North Korean energy until my internship comes to a close in January.
   As for the topic of my individual research, I initially planned to study North Korea’s diplomacy with less developed nations in the 1970s. However, as I worked on a diverse range of current issues at CSIS, I gained new inspiration. Now, I’m planning to adopt a different approach that involves comparing the past and the present. I know it won’t be easy to secure North Korea- related data, but I’ve grown confident about my topic thanks to the detailed advice of Professor Victor Cha.
   In late August, I assisted in preparations for the CSIS Korea Chair’s public lecture titled “The Importance of US- Japan-Korea Trilateral Defense Cooperation.” In September, I attended seminars at CSIS and other DC think tanks including the Brookings Institution and the Wilson Center. It was also meaningful to take part in the JoongAng Ilbo-CSIS Forum 2019, held by the CSIS Korea Chair on September 30.
   As the first two months of my internship saw me completing temporary assignments and exploring agenda items by attending various seminars, I’ll be concentrating on my research in the rest of the internship so that I can come up with tangible results. I also plan to additionally study how Korean Studies research is conducted and utilized in the DC area.

KF Think Tank Internship Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), Washington, DC Jeong Ji-hye

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