NOVAsia Special RepoRt Evaluating the Economic Crisis

inSide tRack This is My City – Follow the Lida

pRofileInterview with Helen Kang

Yonsei University Graduate School of International Studies newsmagazine I spring 2009 I VOL. 02

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日新 日日新 又日新 (gou ri xin, ri ri xin, you ri xin). This Chinese proverb emphasizes that with each day (日), everything should be new (新). This idea of “new” goes beyond the simple expected concept of

something “fresh”. The phrase implies that people should strive to grow in all aspects of their daily lives, by growing intellectually, individually, and externally. Most importantly, one should persist in the betterment of one’s character.

Saint Augustine once said, “Ergo ut esset, creates est homo, ante quem nullus fuit.” (For there to be a beginning, man was created, before whom there was nobody). According to the interpretation of Hannah Arendt, the beginning entered the world as man entered the world. Furthermore, she advocates the principle of freedom that came to be when human beings were created. One could imply that human beings exercise their freedom by putting something into motion, seizing opportunities, and taking initiatives.

Although every beginning has the potential to be novel and fresh, there are still those instances that can result in pain and affliction, rather than lead to joy and elation. Herman Hesse explained in Demian that when a bird breaks out of its shell, it is essentially destroying its old world in order to be born into its new world. The exhilarating feeling of flight is a direct contrast to the painful experience of a bird’s birth. Abraxas! We should not be discouraged by the difficulties that lie ahead; I hope that all current and prospective students of the Yonsei Graduate School of International Studies, as well as the wider global audience, continues to bear this in mind.

Economy, economy, economy. Lately, all we hear about is the economic recession, rising unemployment rates, and the increasingly fierce competition among contenders in the workplace. South Korea and Yonsei GSIS are no exception, which is why the second edition of NOVAsia is exploring one of the most daunt-ing challenges of today. NOVAsia starts off by examining how this long lasting economic slowdown has affected the students of Yonsei GSIS. As others fear the economic downturn, there are still those who seek to inspire a different vision. The term economics originally comes from the ancient Greek word “oikonomia”(management of a household), which in turn is derived from the words “oikos”(house) and “nomos”(rules). Therefore, an economy originally is not aimed at primarily maximizing profits and efficiency but rather at pro-

moting harmony. From that perspective, the attention on “social enterprise” is appropriate during this era of difficulty since it focuses on the people and society in general. NOVAsia sheds some light on social enterprises by introduc-ing Young Ko, a compassionate benefactor, who has been at the center of a new entrepreneurial movement gaining popularity amongst people in Korea: NOVAsia’s “Special Report” shares these stories.

Yonsei GSIS is also embarking on a new beginning. First, we see the fruits of two years of dedication being borne in all areas of the globe: the GSIS Alum-ni International Association has recently launched Yonsei GSIS Club Japan, with a fairly recent alumni event in Tokyo. More reunions are expected to take place in other major cities around the world. Additionally, the “Events” sec-tion introduces this association and provides up-to-date information on vari-ous events and activities taking place within GSIS. NOVAsia is also featuring, along with introductions to the GSIS student body in the “Inside Track”, an interview with Helen Kang, the new Director of the Career Development Center. In the “Opinion” section, two GSIS students discuss the prospect for an Asian Monetary Fund (AMF) as a new regional financial community.

Even though NOVAsia was originally created with the intention of focusing on the Yonsei GSIS community, we are hoping to broaden our horizons by extending our audience to readers all around the world. NOVAsia will eagerly continue to communicate unique, influential and inspirational stories.

In conclusion, as we find ourselves in the midst of this current economic situation we should optimistically embrace the difficult and somewhat painful challenges that lie ahead of us all. We believe there is hope hidden among all this turmoil; even in the most desolate of environments, nature can overcome the obstacles to allow a flower to blossom and bloom. We should always keep in mind:日新又日新.

“We do not display greatness by going to one extreme, but in touching both at once, and filling all the intervening space.” – Paragraph 351, Part 6, Pensees by Blaise Pascal

See you all again in June.

Editor’s NoteJuhern Kim

Editor in Chief, Spring 2009

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S tudying in the United States has long been the one dream that kept Hye Ryeon Jang awake during the long commutes from her home in

Geumcheon all the way to Yonsei University here in Shinchon. Since entering Yonsei’s political science program as an undergraduate five years ago, Jang, now a first semester ASP student at GSIS, sacrificed many hours of sleep and leisure so that she could excel and move on to make her dream reality. But for Jang, the past year has proved to be more of a rude awakening than a dream come true.

In a country like South Korea, where the level of one’s education has become a social obsession, the growing demand for English language proficiency and the prestige from having studied at a reputable university has led more and more Koreans overseas for study. But with the world’s financial markets cur-rently in turmoil, Korea and the value of its currency, the won, have been hit especially hard due largely to their reliance on an export-driven economy. Now many students like Jang, who have intentions to study abroad, finding themselves having to reassess their fu-tures accordingly. “It’s been my dream for a long time now to study in the U.S.,” said Jang. “It’s frustrating to think about putting my plans on hold because of the current economic situation.”

For Koreans, experiences abroad, English capabilities and degrees from prestigious foreign institutions are very coveted entries in resumes and applications for jobs and higher education. According to the latest statistics provided by the Korean Educational Developmental Institute, 217,959 Koreans were receiving some form of higher education abroad in 2008. In a separate sur-vey by the Institute of International Education (IIE) in the same year, 69,124 of this number were in the U.S., ranking them third in the world behind China and In-dia, countries with significantly larger populations.

But the plunge in value of the won has created dif-ficulties for students considering the option; as of the first week of April, the won had improved to almost as much as 1,350 won to the U.S. dollar, compared to the dismal rate of nearly 1600 won in late February. Even if students manage to gain admittance to a top university, they are finding that financing their studies without the aid of a scholarship increasingly difficult.

Even Jang, who graduated summa cum laude, is now at a loss for a clear direction. “I enjoy studying political science. I enjoy it so much that I feel more and more confident that this is something I can do for the rest of my life,” she said. “But now with the awful exchange rate, I cannot afford to study abroad without any sort of financial aid.”

And so for many Korean students, the anticipation of the competition they will encounter when they go on to apply for jobs or higher education forces them to reach for foreign shores. Despite the weakened state of the won, Jang said she will still most likely seek to gain admittance to a U.S. university. “I know that [study-ing abroad] isn’t cheap,” she said, reflecting on her experience as an exchange student at the University of Maryland, College Park. “It’s going to be difficult, but I have no intention of giving up yet.”

And while Korean students have been hit particularly hard by the weakening won, they are not the only ones being affected by the recent downward trend. Inter-national students too have felt the trickle down effects while living in Seoul. Second semester KSP student

Dominic Chu, an American who has been working part-time as an English language instructor at Sogang University for income, has noticed a decrease in the number of students registering for classes. “Kids aren’t planning to go abroad as much as they used to and so they don’t feel any urgent need to practice and learn English,” said Chu. “Even English teachers are having a hard time getting paid these days.”

There are some students, however, who have chosen to take a different route. While she had originally en-tertained the idea of applying to a graduate program outside Korea, first semester PIC student Gowun Kim decided to cancel these plans indefinitely because of the unfavorable exchange rate. “From a young age, I had always wanted to study abroad,” said Kim. “But financial reasons, certainly the economy, was a largely influencing factor [in coming to GSIS],” said Kim. “I thought long and hard about the pros and cons of studying abroad and studying domestically, before opting not to leave.”

More and more Korean students seem to be thinking similarly, looking for alternatives to going abroad. Ac-cording to numbers provided by GSIS Office of Admis-sions, 146 Korean students applied for admission this semester, a considerable rise compared to the 87 from spring 2008. And this increase is definitely attributable to the unfavorable exchange rate, said Admissions Of-fice Yun Jeong Choi. “With the current exchange rate and a difficult job market, it’s quite expected to see a rise in graduate school applications for those who have exhausted all other options,” Choi explained. “This is not an occurrence that is unique to GSIS. It should be fairly universal to all schools and programs.”

“While academic education is important, I wanted to experience a larger world with a diverse community of people... and I saw GSIS as a stepping stone towards whatever future I may pursue.” While there appears to be no drop in the number of Korean students go-ing abroad recorded by the IIE or any other research institution just yet, students with stories such as Kim and Jang provide micro evidence that the ailing world economy has had an effect.

But with relief from the economic slowdown unlikely in the near future, Kim said she hopes that the uni-versity will create more opportunities for domestic stu-dents to earn scholarships like the variety available to international students. Although financially, attending GSIS has made sense for her in that she saves on a lot of expenses that would go into living overseas, Kim emphasized that “paying tuition still creates a burden for us Korean students.”

Still, for some, giving up the dream is not yet reality. De-termined to go abroad, Jang reasons that any political scientist in Korea worth their salt will have to have some form of international exposure. “Especially in political science, it’s very much a matter of perspectives. You have to be able to see a situation from a diverse number of perspectives in order to get the big picture,” Jang said. “Performing research is a very important element in this field and many of the most important databases, scholars and think tanks are in the U.S.” And so she hopes to utilize her time to the fullest while attending GSIS. “I can take courses in English and I think that it is prepares me well for the next step of studying in the U.S.,” she explained. “I’ve found so far that it allows me a lot of freedom in my education. This will allow me to strengthen my qualifications and hopefully earn a scholarship to a good university in the U.S.”

Economic Crisis Dashes Dreams

Weakening Won Sees

GSIS Growth

NOVAsia Special RepoRt >

By Justin ahn

Despite the world economy currently in turmoil and the weak exchange rate of the won, the number of Korean applicants to GSIS rose from 87 in the spring of 2008 to 146 this semester. Faced with possible financial burdens, students who wish to study abroad are working even harder in an effort to earn financial scholarships.

Fishing for Social Enterprise:

Temporal Fad or Signal of Big Change?

NOVAsia Special RepoRt >>

By Juhern Kim

T he rooms of Work Together Foundation at Dongyo-dong, Mapo-gu were particularly crowded on Sunday, March 18, with people eagerly gathering to learn,

teach, and consult. Over twenty university interns occupied the classroom while a dozen experts stood outside busily working on their laptops, patiently waiting for somebody to arrive.

Inside the classroom, consultants and interns meticulously shared ideas of how to enhance the corporate income of Eroun Mall (er-oun means good in Korean), one of the “social enterprises” which buys and sells products that are environmentally friendly and manufactured by disabled workers. When a man finally arrived with the enlightening aura of a leader, the classroom meeting was quickly dismissed and people gathered instead for the weekly meeting of the Social Consulting Group (SCG).

The SCG is made up of a group of 57 pro bono experts in-cluding lawyers, doctors and accountants, all voluntarily work-ing under the principle of supporting enterprises that focus on serving the interest of the public. Aside from Eroun Mall, they are currently consulting for over twenty other social en-terprises. Ko Young, the SCG representative and a full-time consultant for Deloitte Anjin, proudly exclaimed, “All consult-ing fees for social enterprise are free, but we aim to consult at the best quality level possible.”

On March 11, the Chang Ki Won Conference Room at Yonsei University was packed with people attending the International Conference on Social Enterprise 2009 (ICSE 2009). It was hosted by Columbia University Business School and the Ko-rean Development Institution (KDI) and sponsored by Yonsei University and the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST). Numerous highly acclaimed experts and advisors including Won Soon Park from The Hope Institute, Chung Un Chan, a former Seoul National University Presi-dent, Raymond Horton from Columbia and Antony Bugg-Levine from Rockefeller Foundation, attracted a high number of students and businessmen who crammed into the confer-ence hall. It was evident that social enterprise has become a prevailing topic in business.

Some well-known social enterprises include Newman’s Own and Beautiful Store. Newman’s Own is a social enterprise, estab-lished by the late American actor Paul Newman, that produces and manufactures food without any artificial flavors or food preservatives, donating 100 percent of all post-tax profits to charitable organizations. Beautiful Store in South Korea assists those in needs with the profits that are earned through collect-ing, repairing and selling secondhand items donated by local citizens. These types of social enterprises are receiving more attention as they are increasingly viewed as new alternatives to the economic crisis, which many have attributed to greed from free-market capitalist systems.

The question still remains: what exactly are the parameters of social enterprise? Unfortunately, there isn’t a definite answer but a variety of opinions that attempt to determine the concept. For instance, the Organization for Economic Co-operation and

1. Students and businessmen actively engage in the annual International Conference of Social Enterprise 2009 (ICSE) at Yonsei University.2. Beautiful Store Korea representative Park Won Soon makes a speech about the social and economical perspectives of social enterprises. 3. Professional volunteers from various industries collaborate to strategically consult for over ten pending projects, including educational institutes and hospitals.

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Development (OECD) defines it as “organizations taking dif-ferent legal forms in different countries, which are organized in an entrepreneurial spirit and pursue social and economic goals.” On the other hand, Professor Horton from Columbia, one of the ICSE 2009 speakers, said that social enterprise is “the application of business skills (or tools or methods) to the solution of social problems”.

The term “social enterprise” has been regularly mentioned in the U.S. since the 1990’s. It was initially used by Bill Drayton, a social entrepreneur and the current Chair of Ashoka: Inno-vators for the Public, which is a non-profit organization dedi-cated to finding and fostering social entrepreneurs worldwide. Furthermore, it was a growing subject featured in academic articles and at a handful of conferences at the time, according to Professor Horton. However, as time has passed there has been an increase of interest towards the issue. The term has also become a common phrase used across several countries in Europe and in India, but social enterprise remained largely unknown to the rest of the world. It has not been until recently that social enterprise has started to spread like wildfire, partic-ularly in China, and is becoming an integral part of business education and practice in Korea.

When we delineate the composition and organization of so-cial enterprises, experts say we need to consider economic and social factors. Economically speaking, social enterprises do not differ greatly from regular corporations, although there are more risks involved. Social enterprises are created and managed by groups of professionals and indirectly receive advisory from public authorities or private companies. The shareholders have the right to participate (“voice”) or to leave the organization (“exit”). As a result, social enterprises carry a significant economic risk because their financial viability de-pends on the efforts of its members, who have the responsibil-ity of ensuring adequate financial resources unlike most public institutions. The infrastructure of social enterprise requires a minimum number of paid workers. Similar to traditional non-profit organizations, social enterprises may combine financial and non-financial resources, voluntary and paid work.

From a social perspective, social enterprises are unique. Firstly, they explicitly aim to bring benefits to local communities. A principal objective of social enterprises is to serve the commu-nity or a specific group of people. Secondly, it is centered solely on serving citizens. Social enterprise is the result of collabora-tive dynamics that engage people from different backgrounds to share goals and outlooks. Thirdly, social enterprises firmly stand beside the idea of “one member, one vote”; their deci-sion-making processes do not depend on capital ownership. Capital owners play an important role in social enterprises but this role is not identical to its role in non-social enterprises. Last but not least, they have limited distribution of profit; some social enterprises completely prohibit or limit profit dis-tribution to avoid profit-maximizing behavior.

Generally, social enterprises connect the boundaries between private and voluntary sectors, private and government sectors, and government and voluntary sectors. Behind these rationales, there is an underlying ideology of a new form of capitalism that works to generate profits and solve the world’s inequities by us-ing market forces to efficiently address the needs of the poor. According to Bill Gates, this creative capitalism combines “great focuses of human nature, self-interest and caring for others.”

However, as people are becoming increasingly interested in this issue, social enterprises are beginning to face more chal-lenges. The main problem is the lack of a definite identity to this emerging concept of social enterprise; it lies somewhere be-tween profit-making and charity. Critics of the social enterprise system agree that only a few customers will pay more for pricy environmentally-friendly products and workers will be disposed to work for lower wages. Some opinions also claim that social

enterprises insult the mainstream business system, including business education and theory. Regarding this issue, Professor Horton commented, “It is hard for faculty members, even for the most devout believers in the market’s invisible hand, to op-pose using the skills they teach to solve social problems”. These views and criticisms are obstacles to building successful social enterprises.

Overall, the emergence of social enterprises is certainly hav-ing a more positive effect on society. Market-based mecha-nisms have already shown so many market failures, such as the deteriorating environmental and poverty issues. The cur-rent economic turn-over is a perfect opportunity to figure out a way to create an inclusive society that embraces the strug-gling and the poor. Chul Ki Ju of the Global Compact Korea Network stated, “Social enterprises can be a part of seeking so-lutions to our social problems. We need to further encourage the emergence of social enterprises at this critical juncture of a world crisis and Korea”.

In fact, expectations for social enterprises are becoming higher due to the increasing rate of unemployment. The recent infla-tion and economic recession have caused the under privileged to experience more obstacles financially. In response, the social services industry has created additional employment opportuni-ties. According to the Ministry of Labor of South Korea, an av-erage of 146,000 out of 320,000 newly employed people (45.4 percent) from 2001 to 2005 were involved in the social services industry. WeCanCookie, a Korean cookie company, is a job-shar-ing corporation in a social enterprise that provides employment opportunities to disabled people. Edit-the-World, which is sup-posed to be launched this year, is another social enterprise that creates and provides jobs to the committed youth who has abil-ity to translate publications from English to Korean. It also aims at raising awareness of Korean people over global issues, such as poverty and human rights. According to the representative of Edit-the-World, Jeong Tae Kim, the running strategy of the company, which provides education about social issues and jobs for the educated youth, “can hit two birds with one stone.”

In 2007, there were 218 legally recognized social enterprises in Korea, but the labor force ratio of civil organizations amount-ed to a mere 2.4 percent. As a result, Korea held the second-lowest rank among the OECD member countries. Experts say the main reason for this disappointing number was due to low investments and lack of support from private sectors.

Today, support and investments from civil organizational foundations continue to be insufficient. Although the scale of contributions from giant private enterprises is constantly ris-ing, investment in social enterprise remains limited. Further-more, various forms of social contribution are needed – e.g. business management assistance and pro bono service. For these reasons, what the Work Together Foundation and SCG have managed to accomplish is particularly difficult and rare in the Korean business environment and the attention they have been receiving is well-deserved.

Even though criticism and opposing views remain, the impact of social enterprises on society and the business world is con-tinually on the rise. One thing is clear: the social enterprise system itself has the potential to resolve long-pending social is-sues. Specifically, it could become an alternative to the existing business systems, given the long-lasting world economic reces-sion. There is an old Chinese proverb that says, “Give a man a fish and feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.” Drayton remarked that as entrepreneurs, it is not enough to catch fish or teach others to fish; true en-trepreneurs change the fishing environment so that everyone has the opportunity to catch fish. Now all that remains is to see whether today’s social entrepreneurs will be able to change the business environment, as Drayton suggested, or if they will just fade away into the background as a fad of the past.

Well-known Social Enterprises

Beautiful Store (Korea) Beautiful Store is a non-

profit Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) which

helps those in need with the profits earned through collecting, repairing and selling secondhand items

donated by citizens at a low price. It started its projects in 2002, and now has over 80 stores around the country. Experts even commented that it has economic and social sustainability as its

sales have been increasing since its starting point. For instance, sales of 2007 and 2008 recorded 10.7 billion

and 12.4 billion Korean won. (www.beautifulstore.org)

Per Scholas (US) Per Scholas is a non-profit social venture dedicated to

using technology to improve the lives of people in low-

income communities. They provide environmentally responsible recycling for computer equipment, the best of which is

reconditioned and distributed to low-income families at the lowest possible price. To date they have connected 65,000

residents to home computers, recycled 750,000 pieces of equipment, and created 60

full-time jobs. (www.perscholas.org)

Newman’s Own (US) Newman’s Own is one of

the most famous social enterprises producing and

selling environmentally friendly salad dressing,

established by the late Paul Newman in 1982. It is a thriving company with hundreds of millions of

dollars in annual revenue. As always, all profits are donated to charity through Newman’s

Own Foundation. (www.newmansown.com)

Seeing the Forrest for the Trees

Consultant Bucks Business Trend, Lives for Altruism

NOVAsia Special RepoRt >>>

A black-and-white checkered scarf was nat-urally slung across his sturdy shoulders, fashionably accessorizing the steadfast-

ness of his movements. His eyes spoke of compas-sion and ambition before his mouth did, making for quite the first impression. Yet there were no signs that pointed to the extraordinary individual that lay beneath the surface making for an altogether more complicated figure on his atypical quest for altruistic commitments.

Today, where more than a million jobs are getting slashed on a month-to-month basis, this unsung hero has been stubbornly going against the norm trying to make a difference in society. Philan-thropy may be an understatement for Ko Young (33), a consultant for Deloitte Anjin who has been donating between 30 percent and 90 percent of his annual salary to various charitable organiza-tions since 2006. In fact, there were times when he went as far as taking out bank loans under his name to assist people in need. His countless bene-factions have resulted in him living in crowded rental homes and without a car, but his priorities consist of selfless deeds that he wishes to fulfill for as long as he is able.

“When I’m working [to make money], I con-stantly remind myself that the money isn’t mine, or anybody else’s for that matter. It belongs to the society,” Ko modestly said. “All I’m doing is giv-ing it back; I don’t necessarily think it is charity. Even if it means borrowing money to help those in need, I’ll do it because it’s all possible.” He unrav-eled his scarf and placed it neatly on his lap. His words calmly slipped from his confident smile that neglected ordinary shamefulness that some people often display from mounted debt.

Ko’s humble journey began when he was a stu-dent at Korea University heavily burdened with debt and no financial resources to pay for gradu-ate school tuition. “There were days when I walked through campus avoiding all eye contact,” he explained as he recounted the tragic memory. However, a fortuitous turn changed his mindset in the form of an owner of a campus burger joint who offered Ko money in order for him to pay his tuition. Ko reevaluated his perception of money and deliberately began taking active humanistic roles on and off campus. His creation of a stu-dent-volunteer organization that picked up litter from Yonsei-Korea Friendship Games developed his leadership abilities.

As if working as a consultant for a prestigious inter-national consulting company isn’t enough to satisfy his ambition, Ko established the Social Consulting

Group (SCG) to inspire lawyers, doctors, accoun-tants, consultants and pharmacists to offer pro bono consulting. Currently, the group is comprised of 57 members, including college interns. Their goal this year is to reach a hundred active mem-bers. In the midst of their busy schedules, SCG members meet every Sunday morning, precisely at 8AM, to discuss ongoing projects. Nearly every week, one or two new members join the collabora-tive efforts to eagerly contribute to society.

Our Sunday meeting, in particular, proceeded as Ko hastily paced up and down the corridor of the compact classroom, asking every group to update their statuses. “Please keep in mind,” he announced, “that we have to stay passionate and aggressive to recruit clients. We have to constantly improve on strengthening our relationship with them so we can offer our services at the best pos-sible quality and unconditionally.” He was persis-tent to gain insight into suggestions and comments. When one of the members showed discomfort to-wards the commute to distant suburban cities, Ko instantaneously concurred to lease a car under the company’s name for the team.

“Money isn’t everything,” according to Ko. It’s a means to an end. Ko Young took an ordinary idea and turned it into something extraordinary. A humanist, a leader, and an individual with a burn-ing passion for people, Ko continues to dream of becoming a big influence by creating a ripple ef-fect through a series of small changes. Ko became the first Korean to participate with the UNICEF in which he has bequeathed his entire inheritance to the children in need.

When he was respectfully complimented, he qui-etly sat reflecting until his lips formed a crescent shape. “My passion is people. This is the life I want to live, and it’s important to know that I’m happy at the end of the day. I am happy knowing that I’m doing something good for the sake of doing it.” He glanced over. He took the scarf from his lap and gently hung it around his neck. “Do you remember the movie Forrest Gump? I am like For-rest; incessantly running towards my dreams and achievements. It’s all about making a decision and being persistent to accomplish it.”

Ko was pressed for time and stood up to attend a church service. When asked to add any final ad-vice for our students he valiantly replied, “Don’t ever get swayed by what other people say. Follow your beliefs. And remember to do your best so not a day goes by wasted.” As his broad figure dimin-ished beyond the door, he slung his scarf back and swiftly walked away through the city streets.

By Diana Fauzan

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I n February of this year, Miriam Chun began a five month internship at the Australian Em-bassy in Seoul. At the same time she is study-

ing full time at Yonsei GSIS, and is in her third semester for her master’s in International Studies. Here, she provides us with a glimpse into life as a diplomatic intern.

“I work in the office twenty hours a week, so I am definitely a lot busier than last semester! One thing that I have definitely learned to do is to use my time efficiently and effectively. Alternating between GSIS and my internship is not easy, but by learning to be productive I have realized that it can be done.”

What goes on behind the closed doors of the embas-sies is always of interest to mere mortals: “The work-ing atmosphere is very dynamic, and the embassy op-erates a in a very fast environment so there is diversity within the work I undertake as an intern. One thing I realized is how important real work experience is in order to prepare myself for future employment- I feel that working in such rapid pace is equipping me with the tools to go out into the real world.”

The work that Miriam undertakes is certainly var-ied as she explains, “[I do everything from] moni-toring English media and compiling summaries, to collaborating on a market overview that the em-bassy is creating. Being an intern has meant that there has been a certain level of flexibility within the work that I have undertaken. Last week I was ordered to create a presentation about Australia’s education system, and given a lot of freedom in deciding the production path.”

Although Miriam is only six weeks into her intern-ship she has already learned some insightful les-sons. “I have learned that bringing a big organiza-tion together requires a strong leadership as well as cooperation and solidarity amongst the staff. I real-ized that to deliver results good communication is a vital factor and so meetings and regular emailing are the essence of working in a team.”

It is important to be able to understand the role of the Australian Embassy in Seoul and so Miriam is able to explain this from her insider’s point of view. “As the official mission to represent Australia abroad, the Australian embassy acts as the chief envoy here in Seoul to maintain relations with Ko-rea.” However just being inside an embassy does not automatically ensure you an ‘access all areas’ pass. “Much of the work the diplomats and staff engage in is classified. Due to security reasons and being an unofficial employee of the Embassy, the level of involvement in projects that I can undertake can be restricted and limited.” Despite this restric-

tion Miriam is positive and is clearly reveling in this great opportunity to be involved in the Australian mission here in Seoul. “In spite of this, working at the Embassy has offered me an invaluable experi-ence that is to be a part of the Australian govern-ment abroad. I have also learned a lot from being surrounded by so many brilliant foreign servicemen who are so committed to their mission.”

“I have also noticed that the Embassy is supported by locally engaged staff that are Korean, who are just as passionate about their job as the Australian diplomats in representing Australia. In fact, the roles Korean employees play are imperative in the operation at the Embassy.

However embassy life is not all work and no play. “One aspect about working at the Embassy that is interesting to note is that although we work in Korea, most of the work setting is Australian- we take Australian public holidays and drink Austra-lian wine at Embassy functions!”

Miriam certainly seems to be enjoying all aspects of life as an intern but in particular she explains that, “Being in contact with many high profile Austra-lians through the Embassy has been very exciting. I have met some great people who are Australians here in Seoul, through working at the embassy. Last week I received my business card with the national crest of Australia. That was pretty cool!”

The future looks bright for Miriam as she con-tinues her internship and her studies at Yonsei GSIS. “The experience working within a govern-ment body, as well as the working environment has resulted in me gaining much more in-depth knowledge about how government organisations operate. I hope at the end of the internship I will have equipped myself with more professional as-sets compared to when I walked in.”

Life at the Australian Embassy Miriam Chun Explains All

By Jennifer Frost

Dean’s Message

S ecuring employment in an era of a glob-al economic meltdown is one of the most pressing challenges confronting

young professionals across the world and Ko-rea is not an exception. The tasks are daunting and there’s no magic wand. But this is precisely the right moment to make the most important investment our students are going to make: upgrading themselves for the new global econ-omy. Whatever field they choose to enter, three essential ingredients are necessary: (1) the abil-ity to understand the myriad mix of global forces that are reshaping the world as we know it, (2) deepening intercultural knowledge and related “soft skills,” and (3) focusing like a laser on 2-3 key career options and implementing quarterly goals with matching strategies.

Even in times of severe economic contraction, great companies refuse to cut budgets in one core area—research and development because once the market improves, retaining their com-petitive edge depends crucially on marketing new technologies and products. In much the same vein, while job prospects are quite dim, all of our students must make investments now so that they will be able to “IPO” themselves when they graduate. In this context, our new Executive Director of the Career Develop-ment Center, Helen Kang, is the right person who has joined the GSIS at the right time. As the second issue of NOVAsia goes to press, I hope that all of our students remember that “if you know what the world needs, then the world will know that it needs you.”

Professor Chung min Lee

Gateway >

Building Bridges: A New

Beginning

photo eSSay >

S pring semester elections for GSA president

and vice-presidents were held at the end of November in the fall semester, in time for the newly elected administration to prepare for their roles as graduate student leadership. The winning party won by a close margin of 74 to 70 votes, at the close of GSIS United’s leadership under recent graduate Bryan We.

Yonsei GSIS welcomed new President Gio Lee, a third semester PIC student and his team of ‘Bridge Builders,’ A-Young Jang, a third semester IMP student and Dong Ju Kim, a third semester PIC student. Running against them last fall was ‘T.I.G.,’ (This Is GSIS) a team of Jae Noh, a fourth semester PIC student, Daniel Jun, a second semester IMP student, and Ji Eun Kwak, a second semester ITF student. As we approach the half way point of the Spring 2009 semester we have witnessed changes under the new administration. More importantly, we are pleased to report that there is now a ping pong table on the fourth floor. The future looks bright for any budding ping pong player and procrastinating student as a new competition will be held every semester.

A Psalm of Life by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Tell me not, in mournful numbers,Life is but an empty dream!....Life is real! Life is earnest!And the grave is not its goal….Trust no future, howe’er pleasant!Let the dead Past bury its dead!Act, - act in the living present!....Let us, then, be up and doing,With a heart for any fate;Still achieving, still pursuing,Learn to labor and to wait.

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The commencement in February 2009 saw 55 graduates wrap up two years of arduous dedication in fulfilling the command to ‘tranform themselves in order to transform the world.’

Incoming and current students prepare for the spring semester by listening attentively during orientation presentations by Dean Chung Min Lee, former Associate Dean Joonho Hahm, CDC Director Helen Kang, P.E.A.R, NOVAsia and the Graduate Student Association.

Youth by Samuel Ullman

Youth is not a time of life; it is a state of mind;it is not a matter of rosy cheeks, red lips and supple knees;it is a matter of the will, a quality of the imagination,a vigor of the emotions….Youth means a temperamental predominance of courage over timidity,of the appetite for adventure over the love of ease.This often exists in a man of sixty more than a boy of twenty.Nobody grows old merely by a number of years.We grow old by deserting our ideals….In the center of your heart and my heart there is a wireless station;so long as it receives messages of beauty, hope, cheer, courage and power from men and from the infinite, so long are you young….

A few days to take in

Prague

>>

D uring an extremely cold week in January I boarded my very reasonable flight to Prague. I cannot deny that my first ob-

servation on arriving was simply how cold it was, which you would think I would be used to as a Brit, but still I pulled on my additional jumper, donned my hat, gloves, and scarf, and braced myself for the bitter weather. However, despite the cold the city is undeniably picturesque and the heavy covering of snow had turned the city into a white winter wonderland. The city is simply lovely with history and architecture oozing out of every corner. Prague is an exceptionally accessible city with so much to see within an easy walking distance. So suitably wrapped up against the cold (or so I thought), I be-gan my four day tour of the city. My daily tours be-gan each day in Wenceslas Square where it seemed every morning the snow fell on the tourists milling around and the imposing building rooftops. In or-der to brace the cold and spend my days walking

By Jennifer Frost

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Letter to

Newcomers

iNSiDe tRacK >

schools in Korea. The opportunity to meet friends with various cultural backgrounds was overwhelm-ing yet precious. As my social life expanded, my fear of adjusting to a new chapter in life gradually disappeared. Sure, the priorities of being a gradu-ate student do lie in the academic frontier, but if it wasn’t for my peers, I would have faced the greater challenge of trying to “fit in”. I’m confident to say that the friendships that began with shy introduc-tions and small talks have transformed into life-long relationships. In the very beginning, I had a hard time approaching my professors; they seemed a little intimidating. However, my opinions im-mediately altered and my interactions with them have certainly opened more doors of opportunity and fond relationships. They were able to inspire me academically and philosophically. Starting graduate school as an already mature adult, I was slightly reluctant to change; I thought my opinions and outlook were pretty much set in stone. Look-ing back now, I am glad that graduate school was

W here can I begin to describe my expe-riences at GSIS? When I attended the new student orientation two years ago

in February, I had very little idea of what to expect socially and academically at Yonsei. I had heard numerous great stories of the institution from en-thusiastic professors and alumni. To my relief, I was not disappointed; my expectations have certainly been exceeded since school life began in March. Not only did I feel pleased to be part of the Yonsei community, but I was extremely lucky to discover newfound friendships that also expanded my social network with some intelligent and genuine people. It seemed to me that GSIS students carried a very sophisticated and ambitious aura that helped me to quickly adjust to the student life. They all had positive outlooks on life and were eager to learn. One of the strengths of Yonsei GSIS is the diverse selection within the student body; Yonsei GSIS has the highest number of foreign students from all over the world among other international graduate

not completely about academia. Each day of my two-year student life at GSIS has molded me to become a stronger, better, and wiser individual. It has helped to smooth out the edges of my intel-lectual, moral, and social positions. So, now two years on as I take a moment to reflect on my time at Yonsei GSIS I can say that it has been one of my life-changing experiences so far. I admit that it was not always enjoyable every day few things ever are, but when I reminisce, I feel like everything fell into place in the end. GSIS provided me with a more lucid idea of how I could approach my ca-reer goals and life-long dreams. Since graduating, I have obtained a valuable career at TNS Korea. Wherever life takes me from here onwards, I will always remember with fond memories and grate-ful feelings my time at GSIS. And with dash of hope, I am looking forward to becoming a suc-cessful GSIS alumnus who can join the enthusi-astic group of faculty and alumni who gather to share their wonderful experiences to current and prospective students alike. It is cliché to say but I feel the sky truly is the limit, now as a recent GSIS graduate I know that I really have in my hands the responsibility to shape my life and find happiness in all my future endeavors.

* Youn Lee is a recent graduate of the Yonsei GSIS Pro-gram in International Cooperation. She studied at the Uni-versity of Connecticut for a semester as an exchange student and was a research and teacher’s assistant for Professor Jongryn Mo during her final year at GSIS. She had previ-ously worked at Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade of the Republic of Korea (MOFAT) as an intern, and is cur-rently employed as a research executive at TNS, a global marketing research firm in Seoul.

around this fascinating city I needed a few added extras, so with hot coffee in hand and bread in my bag in the style of a typical European tourist, I com-menced my daily walk through this immensely his-torical city. My solo sightseeing tour led me to the Charles Bridge which seems to always be bustling with people and street performers whatever time of day you venture across it. I enjoyed a leisurely stroll across the bridge, intermittently distracted from the surrounding sights, I inquisitively glanced at the different types of drawings, paintings and caricatures frequenting the sidelines...sadly it was too cold to sit for a portrait...maybe next time. On reaching the other side the sightseeing took on a more strenuous exertion as I proceeded up the hill to Prague Castle, the main tourist attraction. Once at the top I have to admit I wish I had purchased one of the traditional fox fur hats that all sensible people don to fight the cold and of course to make that all important fashion statement; but alas, my woolly hat would have to suffice. The panoramic views from Prague castle are certainly worth the trek and this was where I wish my photogra-phy skills were more finely tuned. As dusk fell on Prague each day I knew the time had come for me to stop pretending to be a photographer and go in search of more achievable goals - supper - and for this I knew exactly what was on the menu...goulash of course. My short solo trip to Prague was won-derful, beautiful, overwhelmingly historical and cold but I wouldn’t have swapped it for the warm beaches of the Caribbean. After a hectic second semester I was thankful for the opportunity to en-joy some R&R and whilst immersed in the impos-ing surroundings of Prague I contemplated where I may be this time next year.

This is My CityFollow the Lida (Phnom Penh, Cambodia)

iNSiDe tRacK >>

M y name is Lida NO. I was born in Battambang, a Western Province of the Kingdom of Cambodia, which is

known as a rice-stock province of the kingdom. I grew up in an unsafe society during the late internal strife of the country; my childhood was shrouded in poverty and a low standard of living. During my childhood, children, especially boys, liked to play with toy guns as we were so familiar with armies that frequented our daily lives. The toys we made ourselves and we played in the soil which was obvi-ously dirty. I remember my mother often forbidding me to play, but I would usually join in regardless. Af-ter graduating from high school, I moved to Phnom Penh to pursue my bachelor’s degree in Banking and Finance at the Royal University of Law and Economics, and English Literature at the Institute of Foreign Language, Royal University of Phnom Penh. After working for one year for the Ministry of Economy and Finance, I was offered a scholarship by the Korea Exchange (KRX) to undertake my master’s degree at Yonsei University, Republic of Korea. Now I am in my second semester, my major is International Trade and Finance (ITF).

It has been over six months since I left Phnom Penh and I cannot deny I miss it. It is the city which I will always love, feel sympathy for and wish to see devel-op more. In my early years, I had very few chances to visit Phnom Penh. I remember how hard it was and how it took such a long time to travel from Bat-tambang to Phnom Penh. It is only 291 kilometers away, yet it took around nine hours to travel by car! The road was bumpy and there was no pavement. The city itself used to be quiet, slow and sleepy with poor and restructured infrastructures that were left over from the war. It used to be a ghost city with no civilian citizens during the Khmer Rouge Period from 1975 to 1979. Now, fifteen years later I have witnessed so many changes. Phnom Penh is grow-ing and has become the country’s commercial, eco-nomic and political hub. There are lots of new office buildings, houses, apartments, skyscrapers, and satel-lite cities that have been built and many others are in progress. Like other big cities in the world, Phnom Penh is a busy and lively crowded city with heavy traffic jams during peak hours. Surprisingly, there is no public transportation but there are private motor taxis, motor trailer taxis called “TUK TUK” and three-wheeled bicycles called “CYCLO,” which are willing to serve people anywhere. All of these vehicles are real and I am not ashamed of it; it is something of which I have great experiences and memories.

I love this city the way it is. It is the place where I feel I belong. To me, Phnom Penh is special due to its location, it is where all the three rivers – Mekong River, Tonle (River) Sap, and Bassac River meet and

break into four known as CHAKTOMOK (four fac-es); probably that is why it is called “the heart of the country” and it is what distinguishes Phnom Penh from other cities. Phnom Penh is the city of opportu-nity; it has great potential for investment and devel-opment, but it is just a matter of time and resources.

Like other common people in the city, I love spend-ing my spare time after work or school motorcy-cling or driving around popular places in the city along the Tonle Sap River, the Royal Palace, In-dependent Monument and Wat Phnom which is the symbol of the city. I enjoy spending time with friends or family sitting on the big grass fields or public parks playing sports, doing exercises and enjoying food. Most Cambodians like spending their free time doing exercise in the park, espe-cially dancing to music. You will see many differ-ent groups dancing in the public parks if you travel around in the evening or early morning.

My most favorite time in Phnom Penh is the Water Festival, one of the biggest festivals celebrated for three days in November in Phnom Penh. During this festival, there are boat-racing competitions in Tonle Sap River in front of the Royal Palace. Hun-dreds of boat-racing teams with their own boats gather from all different provinces in the country competing to be the champion and get the prize from the King. There are many different kinds of boats with paddlers ranging from more than ten to around seventy people. The boats are nicely decorated and the paddlers are wearing uniforms which make the view look so gorgeous from the edge of the river. During this time, the city is very crowded, especially along the river and in front of the palace. Lately, this festival has attracted some foreigners to participate in the competitions.

In my view, typical Cambodians are conservative; behaving gently, slowly and carefully. This is due to the strict traditional norms and cultures which expect a high standard of behaviour from people, especially female. The histories of civil war and internal strife, in particular, the genocide period, have had a strong influence on Cambodians’ minds and their perspectives. Most people do not tend to trust others easily. They seem to be afraid of being cheated and are highly aware of everything around them. However, this attitude is changing over time. Modern Cambodian people are different. They are more brave, confident, and open. Most people are now more fashionable and materialistic. Their life styles have been influenced by neighboring coun-tries and other countries mostly westerns. Phnom Penh and the whole country mean a lot to me as it does to other Cambodian people. Simply put, it is part of what makes me who I am.

1. Created by a wealthy widow known as “grandmother Penh,” Wat Phnom stands as a symbol of Phnom Penh. She discovered five Buddha statues in a washed up tree trunk and therefore, the city pays tribute in their namesake. “Phnom” comes from the word, “mountain or hill.”2. Independence Monument was built in 1958 as a memorial after gaining independence from French Colonization in 1953. Its design follows the Angkorian style consisting of five levels decorated with 100 snake heads.

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and some genuinely reprehensible tactics in its quest for security and legitimacy. Similarly, he adverts to the traditional his-tory of Korea less for its intrinsic interest than as a means of understanding and illustrating what he takes to be the most significant organizing principles of the incipient South Korean state, the roots of the most important of which he finds both in the traditional Korean polity and in the Japanese colonial regime, which refined, strengthened and “totalized” it—thus es-tablishing an important thread of continu-ity in Korean history—albeit one that, like some others identified by other American historians of Korea such as James Palais and Edward Wagner, most Koreans might prefer to ignore.

What were that thread and its significance? Henderson himself provides the best synop-sis of his organizing theme: In Korea

The imposition of a continuous high degree of centralism on a homogeneous society has resulted in a vortex, a powerful, upward-sucking force active throughout the culture. This force is such as to de-tach particles from any integrative groups that the society might tend to build – social classes, politi-cal parties, and other intermediary groups – thus eroding group consolidation and forming a general atomized upward mobility. The updraft also tends to hinder such developments as definition of func-tion, legal boundaries, formal procedures, and spe-cialization. This vortex appears to account in part for Korea’s unnatural retardation in these areas at the same time that she is developed in personal and family culture, education, political conscious-ness, and even urbanization. The overwhelming problems of power-access that this dynamic cre-ates tend to further to the formation of what might be called broad-surface access. The function of broad-surface access is to absorb the maximum number of power aspirants. Because they oper-ate in a homogeneous environment lacking natural cleavages of issues, color, religion or culture, such needs for access produce artificial fissures on the broad surface of government and contention for it via a series of rival aspirant councils (or, in the case of communism, factions) battling over issues generated by contrived hostility and verbal acerbity rather than by belief or vested interest. Rivals com-pete for the same object in the same way without the possibility of a negotiated solution.

Does anyone want to play the three Kims game?

Seriously, Henderson’s formulation is, cer-tainly in this summary form, not without problems. Nevertheless, in part because of its provocativeness, it’s a very effective inoculation for anyone tempted to under-estimate the persistence of the uniqueness of Korea, even in an purportedly global-ized world, and a useful introduction to the specific conundrums that constitute the uniqueness of Korean society, culture and politics. Having lived here for nearly fifteen years now, it’s top of the list of books that I recommend to serious newbies in my role as old Korea-hand manqué.

1

2

The Reading

List

>>>

I t’s been at least fifteen years, and half-heimers has set in, so memory fails as to how I first came to read Hender-

son’s Korea and the Politics of the Vortex. The book itself, however, made a big and last-ing impression. In fact, besides the weird strangeness of the society that superficially seemed relatively familiar, Henderson’s book was the single biggest factor in my de-cision to study Korea seriously - which I did for a number of years while still laboring away at my day job, before actually enroll-ing at Yonsei to seriously study (yeah, that’s a split infinitive).

Although Henderson disclaims any inten-tion to have written a comprehensive his-tory, his work—like any good history—is a satisfying amalgam of details and interpre-tations.

Most of the facts with which he is con-cerned come from Korea’s Japanese Co-lonial Period, the chaotic interlude re-sulting from the withdrawal of Imperial Japan after its defeat in WW2 and the only slightly less chaotic period of nation-build-ing in South Korea that followed after the end of the U.S. Military Government in South Korea from 1948 to 1965. His fo-cus throughout is on South Korea; and he does not deal with the Korean War, except insofar as it enabled the regime of Syng-man Rhee to engage in some questionable

With midterms done for the most part, many of you might want to take some time off from all those course readings and relieve some stress with some ex-tracurricular readings. Being that we’re all a part of a graduate program in Ko-rea, we here are NOVAsia have decided to toss out a few peninsular suggestions from several of your fellow peers from the Korean Studies Program.

Korea and the Politics of the

Vortex by Gregory Henderson

(Harvard University Press, 1968)

By Kent Davy, Ksp 4th semester

Developmental Dictatorship

and the Park Chung-Hee Era: The Shaping of

Modernity in the Republic

of Korea Edited by Lee Byeon Cheon

(Homa and Sekey Books, 2005)

By nicolas marceau, Ksp 2nd semester

T his collection of essays and papers on the Park Chung-Hee period (1961-1979) attempts to address

the concept of what is termed as ‘develop-mental dictatorship’; that is, whether Presi-dent Park’s method of direct government control of public and private institutions was beneficial to Korea or not. Rather than taking a unidimensional approach, the au-thors attempt to identify issues in the areas of politics, economics, civil/corporate law as well as in terms of civil rights and liber-ties in order to form a balanced view of Park Chung-Hee and his policies. Many domes-tic and international studies on this period have been criticized for rationalizing con-straints on public freedoms in the name of economic progress, but this book offers the reader a rich resource of quantitative and qualitative data by which to form their own conclusions. Proper understanding of this period will enable readers to develop a more nuanced perception of Korea and its par-ticular business climate, and this book does a great job in that regard. Available in Eng-lish and Korean, this book is an indispens-able part of any modern Korean historian’s collection, but is accessible enough for even general readers to get a sense of the impor-tant issues that still affect Korea today.

A Korean History from a Spiritual Perspective

by Ham Sok Hon (Hangilsa Publishing Co. Ltd., 2003)

By Jiyoon Yoo, Ksp 4th semester

H am Sok Hon defines Korean his-tory as ‘a history of suffering’ in his book A Korean History from a

Spiritual Perspective. Having survived through the Japanese colonial period, the Korean War, and the several subsequent authoritar-ian administrations, Ham searches through his experiences for inspiration in his re-search of how the Korean people came to face such adversity. As an intellectual who emerged from this tumultuous period, he makes it his mission to critically analyze Korea starting all the way back from an-cient history until arriving to the modern period. By examining the history as a con-stantly moving force, Ham paves a path for a future in Korea that would suggest mov-ing beyond the ‘history of suffering.’

W ith dreams of adding a fresh, crisp taste to the GSIS program, five students have taken the ini-

tiative by planting the seeds for the school’s new academic journal, P.E.A.R. Inspired by Dean Chung-Min Lee’s vision for expand-ing the GSIS profile, the ambitious staff has been preparing since December to get their publication ready by a deadline of June 1. P.E.A.R., an acronym for ‘Papers, Essays and Reviews,’ is being designed as a platform to draw attention not only to the work of GSIS students but graduate students across the world, according to editor-in-chief Tim Git-zen, a fourth semester KSP student.

“When I came to Yonsei a year and a half ago, there was really no academic activ-ity, there was no academic outlet for us students,” Gitzen said. “After hearing the Dean talk about aspiring to reach a global-ized standard, I saw that a lot of these other schools had academic journals for their students. And so I talked to some students about creating this sort of academic outlet for us.” Along with Gitzen, the core of the P.E.A.R. staff consists of third semester PIC students Cade Holleman and Angela Lee, second semester KSP students Nicolas Mar-ceau and Holly Stephens, and first semester KSP student Sandra Choe.

“For the number of us that have been work-ing on [P.E.A.R.], I think we’ve done quite a bit with the amount of time we’ve had,” Gitzen beamed. “We’re very much looking forward to the release of P.E.A.R.”

Interviewed by NOVAsia in early March, the staff estimated that the journal was halfway done at the time. Lee, who is in charge of the journal’s business and internal affairs, emphasized that GSIS students should be aware that P.E.A.R. is constantly looking for contributions. “I want to remind the read-ers when they write their research papers, term papers, that they can get published if it’s developed well,” said Lee. “They should aim for that standard and also work with the professors, if they feel they have a research paper that’s up to that standard.”

Overall, the staff is very enthusiastic about the coming publication of the first issue of P.E.A.R. “Everything is going just peachy,” said Marceau, the journal’s online editor.

“Just ‘pear’y,” chimed Gitzen.

GSIS Plants Seeds for New Journal

P.E.A.R.

>>

By Justin ahn

Professors’ Publications

eveNtS >

Kim Dong-Jae

Elected president of Korea Strategic Management Society (KSMS), the national academic association in the field of strategic management. Having served as a board member at KSMS for the past twelve years, Professor Kim will lead the association for the year 2009. KSMS will hold its spring academic conference on “Global Economic Crisis and Strategic Management” here at Yonsei GSIS on April 11, 2009.

Hahm Joon-ho

“External Finance and Productivity Growth in Korea: Firm Level Evidence Before and After the Financial Crisis,” Korea Development Review, Vol. 30, No. 2, pp. 177-209, December 2008. (joint publication with Sanghoo Ahn and Joon-Kyung Kim)

“Complementarity among International Asset Holdings,” Journal of The Japanese and International Economies, Vol. 23, pp. 37-55, March 2009. (joint publication with Kwanho Shin)

Appointed as Non-standing Director of the Korea Deposit Insurance Corporation from November 2008.

maass, matthias m.

Forthcoming edited volume published by Palgrave in 2009: The The World Views of the US Presidential Election.

Kim Hyuk-rae

Launching new Routledge series, “Routledge Studies on Modern Korea” as Editor-in-Chief, with co-editors Charles Armstrong of Columbia University and Nancy Abelmann of the University of Illinois.

Forthcoming. 2009. “Contested Governance in the Making of Multicultural Societies: Labor Migration and International Marriages in South Korea.” Korea Observer 40 (2) (SSCI):

“Aspiring to be Global: Migration and Multicultural Contention in Japan, Korea, and Taiwan,” presented at the conference on “The Making of Multicultural Societies in East Asia” at the Colorado State University in US, on January 30, 2009.

“Demographic Changes and Migration in East Asia: Issues and Challenges,” presented at the 9th Pacific and Asia Conference on Korean Studies on “Korea and Korean Studies from Asian Vision” in Hanoi, Vietnam, November 25-26, 2008.

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G SIS Dean Chung Min Lee and GSIS admissions officers were in Tokyo, December 20, 2008,

to help officially open the doors of the Yonsei GSIS Club Japan (YGCJ) with coordinating alumni in Keio University. A professional networking organization for GSIS alumni, this is the first of many

Hajimemashite:

Yonsei Opens Alumni Networking

Branch in Tokyo

>>>

The second Dialogue with the Dean was held on March 11 in New Millennium Hall on Yonsei University campus. A ten-minute presentation entitled, “Festina Lente,” on the progress of GSIS and its task in aiding students to take full advantage of their courses, professors, the Career Development Center, and other social networking activities as provided by the GSA, was given by Dean Chung Min Lee. Immediately after, he engaged in Q&A session in front of a completely packed room of eager students ready to inquire about the hiring of faculty, courses in the Korean Studies programs and the use

of the new Samsung Library on Yonsei’s main campus. Many students commented on the energy brought to the dialogue by the charismatic Dean, and appreciated the dialogue as a unique opportunity to express these concerns. Carina Alencar, a third semester PIC student, said, “Although Dean Lee has significantly invested in impressive extracurricular activities, in my opinion, GSIS needs more diversity in the faculty as well as in course offerings. More women and foreign professors on faculty are still necessary to bring Yonsei GSIS closer to a global standard.”

NewS fRom milleNNium hall >

new clubs to open in metropolitan cities around the world. As alumni continue to increase in number, the need has arrived for extensive alumni relations to reach such places in East Asia, Europe and North America. For more information, please visit the GSIS Alumni homepage on the GSIS website

dialogue with the dean

Since its inception in the fall of 2001, the Yonsei-KF Korean Studies Forum has remained one of Yonsei University’s premier forums in promoting the further expansion of the field of Korean Studies. As of Spring 2009, eighty-seven distinguished scholars from various academic institutions have presented on topics as diverse as democratization, ajumma culture, Korea’s toilet revolution, and the issue of North Korean defectors. The schedule for the spring semester is as follows. For more information, please contact kimhall@yonsei.ac.kr.

March 12, New MilleNNiuM hall

88th ForuM: “Korea and the Rise of China,” Dr. David Hundt, Endeavor Research Fellow and Lecturer of International Relations at Deakin University, Australia

april 7, New MilleNNiuM hall

89th ForuM: “The Persistence and Transformation of Confucian Values in 21st Century Korea: An Empirical Assessment,” Hyojoung Kim, Ph.D.,

korean Studies forums

Assistant Professor, Department of Sociology; Director, Center for Korean American and Korean Studies, California State University, Los Angeles

april 28, New MilleNNiuM hall, 6 pM, rooM 11290th ForuM: “The Domestication of South Korean Early Study Abroad (ESA) in the first Decade of the Millennium,” Nancy Abelmann, Harry E.Preble Professor of Anthropology, Asian American Studies, and East Asian Languages & Cultures at the University of Illinois

May 19, New MilleNNiuM hall, 6 pM, rooM 70291st ForuM: “The Second An Chungk^un of Korea and the Politics of Making a National Hero,” Jane Kim, PhD Candidate, University of California, Los Angeles

JuNe 2, New MilleNNiuM hall, 6 pM, rooM 70292Nd ForuM: “On Kang Kyong-ae and Her Act of Writing,” Mi-Ryong Shim, PhD Candidate, Columbia University

H elen Kang is effervescent. After thirty minutes of the quickest interview I’ve experienced in my NOVAsia career thus

far (one semester), I leave her office feeling ener-gized and refreshed, ready to think seriously about my future career path and the ultimate question that consumes so much of our thoughts as stu-dents at a professional school, “What is it, exactly, that I want to do with my life?”

I’ve never had visions of leaping through fields of dandelions while singing kum-bayah, with pastel-col-ored rainbows floating overhead, but I am a huge proponent of positive thought and I admire those who seek to embrace and embolden those who are slightly prone to be found lost, wandering in their own thoughts

of missed chances. Helen Kang is certainly no Pol-lyanna (as she mentions several times during the course of our interview. “I’m not a Pollyanna!” she insists while wildly waving her hands. “I promise!”), but I did find myself being drawn to her sincer-ity. Far be it for me to call myself an authoritative judge on character but I happened to enjoy every minute of our conversation. One could accuse this writer of being biased. I challenge the accuser to sit in her office and not come away a little bit more confident than when he or she walked in.

We are rushed for time but Kang is quite at ease as we begin talking. I can’t help but wonder how,

or more truthfully, why she ended up here. As with any good account, we start from the end and re-gress to the origin of her story by starting with her undergraduate days.

“It’s important to remain true to your-self. When I first started out, I had an accounting degree and considered it as something practical, something that would provide food on the table. Something that my parents wanted. I worked for Arthur An-derson but after that ceased to exist (hello, Enron scandal), I start-

ed working on getting my CPA. I appeased that side of myself and also appeased my parents in terms of accounting, and then I decided to pursue marketing and did some PR with an educational campaign and went on to recruiting. I gained a lot of experience in that area and it’s what I’m doing now, because I had been a candidate looking for a job and then I was also working for a client and trying to be that middle person. I started out with speaking engagements in various universities in Korea in presenting the Western approach to the job search. I just realized I had something to give and wanted to grow in this area and so that’s how I got into this arena. As far as coming to Yonsei...well... I guess you could say that Professor Han [Sukhee, Chair of the Area Studies Program and Chair of the Career Development Center] didn’t hang up on me. I had cold-called him and as we were talking, somehow that led him to ask me to talk to the new dean and when I met with the Dean, he was just gracious enough to extend an opportunity to work here.”

“So I guess you could say that there was some net-working involved?”

“Oh, definitely, and I’ll talk about that a little bit later but the reason I’m here now is to equip the students. If I could say that the CDC is a bridge between the students and the employers, then I would say that I am here to equip the students. I would also love to offer services from the business community and create job leads…” Kang’s two second pauses slow down the staccato beats of my keyboard clacking. “You know, C. S. Lewis once said, ‘Put first things first and we get second things thrown in. Put second things first and we lose both first and second things.’ If you try to go for the second things without concentrating on the first, then you really do lose out. If I could really help students develop their job search strategy…” She pauses again. “You know the cover letter is all basic and so are the interviewing and networking skills. If they just have that then I feel like they could go out and have the ammunition to work. If the product is good then the customers will come. You guys are the products. You are selling your devel-opment skills and aptitude, I want to help you guys develop those skill sets, the core sets. Normally, in a good economy I would say to start looking 3-6 months ahead, but looking at where we are now, you should be looking 6-12 months.” I look up in surprise and squeak, “Then I’m screwed!” And

that sets off my nervous laughter. The kind that might as well as have me hiccupping and gasping for air. Or, reaching for an oxygen tank.

Kang throws her head back in laughter and asks, “When are you graduating?” “Well, this is my third semester so I have one more to go.” “Oh, then you’re okay then, as long as you start look-ing now.”

Right. Start...looking...now. Kang must notice my panic-stricken face because she laughs again and says comfortingly, “It doesn’t mean we need to be fearful about it. It really is about perspective and preparation, and how some-one would go about a job search in these turbulent times. It’s a holistic approach and it’s really about your perspective. If you focus on the fear aspect then you will get in to anxiety mode.” She laughs again. Kang laughs a lot. And I happen to like people who laugh a lot. “ Even with what’s going on, we still have the freedom of choice: the choice to be hope-driven and faith-driven versus being fear driven. That’s how you grow. Your mind re-ally does have power over what you do.”

That might have worked for Pollyanna and Mother Teresa (my editor just raised his eyebrows, “Please tell me you’re not comparing Mother Teresa to Helen Kang.”) but we mere mortals at Yonsei GSIS must think practically. “So let’s say that after I graduate I don’t get a job. What other creative ways can I deal with this? You need an attitude of ‘Yes I can,’ which is the Obama speech, but you really need it to be in shape for another crisis be-cause good and bad times will always be with us. In so many ways, you have an opportunity that so many at the executive level now are envious of. You can actually spend more time honing in on your interests. Take this time now to really determine and identify what you like to do. And this is totally an ongoing process. I’m...uh...obviously older than you.” I can’t help but crack a smile. “But you know, when I was eighteen or nineteen I had an inkling of what I wanted to do and it’s coming to fruition now. You have to stay true to what you want. I ig-nored my desire to go into teaching and I went for what was more practical in the pursuit of money but look at what I’m doing now.”

I just took a straw poll in the NOVAsia office about career inklings at eighteen and nineteen: Soc-cer player. Lawyer. News anchor. Journalist at a foreign desk. I ask them again, but this time to list their current career aspirations: Law school. Foreign service. Creative director of advertis-ing. One staff member is even so blunt to say, “I don’t know? Happy?” Helen Kang may be on to

something here. With dismal briefs from the newswire and the BBC ticker changing every five seconds to declare a different political or economic disaster, per-haps it is wise to stick with what you want to do, and be happy do-ing it. But back to be being practical. We all need to live, eat, and sleep with the assur-ance that it won’t be

Citizen KangInterview with

New CDC Director

pRofile >

By Kimberely Hall

“Put first things first and

we get second things thrown in.

Put second things first and

we lose both first and

second things.” –

C. S. Lewis

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T he Asian Financial Crisis of 1997 stained the spectacular reputation earned by the miraculous Asian economic develop-

ment. It caused substantial economic disruption and pain in the region. After a decade, another financial crisis hit the region before it could ful-ly recover from the aftermath of the last crisis. There are many characteristics that differenti-ate the first crisis from the second one. However, comprehensive understanding of both crises is necessary in order to draw meaningful lessons to deter future repetition.

The 1997 crisis was a regional phenomenon, while the second one is global in scope. Steep devaluation of Thai Baht caused a ripple ef-fect that spread through neighboring states in-cluding Malaysia, Indonesia and subsequently, to South Korea. However, the recent financial meltdown was triggered by the sub-prime mort-gage loan default in United States, which then moved onto spread all over the world. From this assessment, we can draw that the financial crisis is contagious. Various researches indicate that the contagious effect is more serious as states a more economically interdependent. Therefore, as intraregional trade and financial dependency increases, there is a strong incentive for Asian states to prevent the break out of a financial cri-sis in the neighboring states.

Currently, financial liberalization is an irreversible trend. Cross-border movement of currency is be-coming easier as the world economy is incremen-tally becoming interdependent. On the flip side, this exact trend means that currency is becom-ing more volatile. No state will be able to defend themselves from sudden waves of global currency speculation, especially, if it is directed at a single currency. Therefore, there is an incentive for states to pull the funds together for defense from a po-tential large-scale speculative attack.

Theoretically, a state may be able to build a foreign reserve large enough to control sudden currency fluctuation. However, this means that a state will have to endure large opportunity by stockpiling cash that cannot be put into produc-tive use. Therefore, there is clear incentive for states to set a common fund to prepare for the uncertainties with minimum cost by sharing the burden.

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) exists to solve the problems indicated above. Yet, there is a growing dissatisfaction among Asian states with the IMF’s performance in dealing with the Asian financial crisis in 1997. The recovery package

Separate Monetary Fund Necessary to Ensure

Better Financial Stability in Asia

opiNioN >

By Jiun Kim and in-seop gio Lee

A s part of the new direction the CDC is taking this semester, a workshop was held on March 18 to equip stu-

dents with a CAP – a Career Action Plan. These “Keys to Success” will allow students to match the needs of the companies with their strengths. NOVAsia was also in atten-dance during the workshop and polled five students before and after for feedback. While most found it inspiring and motivating, oth-ers commented on the lack of specificity as related to the Korean market. Video demon-strations of successful interviews and an en-tirely different workshop on entering Korea’s job market would be beneficial and as one student mentioned, “I felt that this workshop was very general and applies better to West-ern countries and cultures. South Korea has unique employment processes and I person-ally believe it would help many students who are trying to enter the Korean job market.” Overall, workshop attendees did come away with useful tidbits on successful networking tips, interviewing skills, and the ‘three hidden questions to keep in mind during the inter-view.’ A follow-up workshop will be held in May, and individual career counseling ses-sions can be made by appointment through the CDC website with advance preparation questions in the CDC office.

CDC Workshop

By eric Ji, Kimberely Hall

taken away from you at any moment. In the eyes of those working on Wall Street and the financial hotspots of the world, job security is an integral part in keeping one’s wits about them in a falter-ing economy.

But Kang sees it from a different viewpoint, “You need to be flexible this time around. When you get an offer, don’t think, ‘This doesn’t fit in my dream job!’ because you never know. If an opportunity comes up, if it’s 60% on target, then any job experi-ence will help you in the long run. If you can’t get a full time job, then wait from a temp to a permanent job. Maybe you can do this if you’re bold enough but you can say to the company, ‘For two to four weeks I will offer you free service.’ If the company likes you and your situation allows for it—assum-ing they don’t take advantage— then do it to prove yourself. As a recruiter and headhunter, sometimes I would remember certain candidates and as a favor to them, without getting paid, I would recommend their resume when they came to mind. It’s impor-tant to be creative. There is no ‘worst’ internship, because even the worst internship can also gain ex-perience. A rookie mistake for anyone entering the workforce, though, is to be a know-it-all. Because when you’re a know-it-all, that already means you feel like you’re not going to grow and that’s a put off for any employer. Having perspective, prepara-tion, and persistence is necessary.”

If the first thing is to be equipped and the second thing is to be prepared with the right perspective, then the third thing must have something to do with implementation. Sure enough, Kang notes networking as the clincher to any good job search. “Even if it’s not the job for you, even if they have only one position, go up to

these companies during these events and practice networking skills. Stick out your hand and do a firm handshake. Say your name, where you’re from, what you like. This is your elevator speech. Companies are looking for those students who will be the most proactive and willing to approach them. Ultimately, I want students to become con-fident career managers and empower them to re-alize their full potential. Every single person has been endowed with skills and talents and the abil-ity to work, whether they see it or not. You’re just starting right now to discover your talents and so you’re developing and nurturing these skills. What I really want to accomplish here is to have each student fully equipped with the know-how. That alone would be sufficient but on top of that...”

She looks around her room, trying to find the right words to end our interview. “On top of everything else, if they could really utilize the techniques but realize all of that is inert and only powered by an active ingredient, which is the belief in yourself. The internal belief that yes, I have the freedom of choice to believe in myself and therefore I can do these things. You can have both: the want and the desire. You just have to believe in yourself to follow it through.”

provided by the IMF did not effectively help the recovery. It was much more interested with eco-nomic liberalization issues that did not reflect the concerns of Asian states. In 2003, the IMF admit-ted that the forced opening of developing states only aggravated the situation.

Debates on setting up the Asian Monetary Fund (AMF) is attracting attention. The proposed role of the AMF is twofold. Firstly, it is to provide short-term capital to resolve liquidity crunch. Secondly, it will monitor regional flow of capital and currency pegging to serve as an early warn-ing mechanism. It is not intended to supplant the leadership of the IMF, but complement its func-tion as a macroeconomic monitor in the region.

Originally, proposal for AMF was struck down mainly due to U.S. and IMF refusal. They argued that AMF is not necessary on the ground that IMF is already performing what AMF is supposed to do. The U.S. feared that an Asian economy char-acterized by crony capitalism would create an-other crony institutional arrangement that would only aggravate moral hazard. However, the U.S. Congress has recently approved the bailout plan to save failing private firms including financial insti-tutions and major industrial manufacturers. This plan contradicts the economic crisis remedy which both IMF and the U.S. shared; let the market take care of deficient firms. The decision by the U.S. congress can only be labeled as crony capitalism aggravating moral hazard.

With the failure of the U.S. economic system, a new scene is opening to discuss and review the current U.S.-led financial structure. It is a time

I f you have ever studied English in Korea, you will have surely noticed this man. Isaac Durst is the host of a famous English show

broadcasted on EBS and Arirang TV, a CEO of an Education Company, a musical actor at “The Fantasticks”, author of more than thirty books, and most importantly, a pioneer of edutainment in Korea. In his show, he throws away the black board and teaches English with physical comedy and slapstick techniques.

“I really love to help people grow. I have never lost my passion for teaching. If teaching does not make me happy, I would not want to do it. If I do not want to do it, people can tell and as a result they do not want to learn from me. I believe that ex-citement is contagious.” However, teaching is not the only object of his excitement. With a happy smile, he continues to talk about his enthusiasm for Korea, “When I arrived at Gimpo Airport at 1987, Korea was experiencing hard times. Dem-onstrations were held everywhere. It was crazy and intense, but I could see the dynamics and the potential that Korea had. Anyone who has a taste of Korea will experience an ‘unexplainable attrac-tion’ in the same way one tastes kimchi.”

His family background partly explains the reasons behind his comfort and attraction in Korea. His step mother is Korean, and the desire to commu-nicate with his grandmother was the intangible motivation that drove him to come as an exchange student to Yonsei University. “I would say, ‘Grand-

Isaac DurstM.A in East Asian Studies,

Yonsei GSIS 1991-1994

GSiS GlimpSe >

By eugene Lee

to capitalize on the opportunity to set up a re-gional institution that can best serve the interest of Asian states. However, the process is not go-ing to be easy. There are political and strategic tensions between states for proposed organiza-tional leadership. Furthermore, Asian states are traditionally skeptical about committing to re-gional institutions that might compromise state sovereignty.

ASEAN Plus Three signed the Chiang Mai Initia-tive (CMI) in 2007. Its intent was to foster bilater-al currency swap agreements in the region. Cur-rency swap opens up room for a state to borrow U.S. dollars with their own currency as collateral. So far CMI had a limited assurance building ef-fect in the region. However, a complex network of bilateral agreement is inherently unstable. In 1997, South Korea received about 50 billion U.S. dollars from varying sources including the IMF and neighboring states. Current bilateral swaps cover about one to three billion US dollars. Thus, from retro perspective, CMI swap options are simply not enough for Asian states to deal with possible financial crises.

Asian states together currently hold over 2 trillion U.S. dollars as foreign reserve. Thus, the region does have sufficient resources to set up the AMF that proposes capitalization of 100 to 120 billion U.S. dollars. The problem is lack of political will and procedural know-how. Asian states should carefully capitalize experience gained from engag-ing in myriad of intraregional bilateral financial arrangements to set a more institutionalized and effective institution such as an Asian Monetary Fund in the future.

ma, I am hungry,’ she would answer ,‘You want to poo?’ Joking aside I just wanted to tell her how much I love her. I mean, in Korean.” This motiva-tion resulted in him embracing his new role as an English teacher with enthusiasm and sympathy.

After completing the one year exchange program and obtaining his master’s degree at Yonsei GSIS, as well as a degree in English Literature from UC Berkeley, he worked at the Manhattan Center and MTV in New York. However, he soon realized that his heart was still in Korea, so when he was offered the position of a Professor in Korea, he decided to come back to Korea. Now, he has become one of the most beloved English instructors in Korea among several other leading roles. On or off air, Durst is a man full of energy, fascination, and en-thusiasm, with a deep, serious love for all the peo-ple, places and opportunities that surround him.

“School is an amazing place, especially Yonsei GSIS which is a place full of blessings. Students can truly learn international studies whilst being at the best of the East. I am really grateful to the professors and friends at Yonsei GSIS. If I was to go back to Yonsei GSIS, I know I would study re-ally ‘seriously.’ Believe me, I would never lose hold of the blessing.”

* Isaac Durst is a well-known radio and television per-sonality. He has a long history of experiences as a TV Language Instructor at various places, such as EBS TV, EBS Radio and Arirang TV.

1. Jiun Kim is Master’s candidates in Program in International Cooperation. He received B.A. from Hankuk University of Foreign Studies with a degree in Economics.2. In-Seop Gio Lee is Master’s candidate in Program in International Cooperation. He received B.B.A. from College of William and Mary with a degree in Business Administration and Philosophy.

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Staff Box >

PuBliShEr

Chung min Lee (Dean)

ExECutivE DirECtor

Hee Jin Lee (associate Dean)

DirECtor

in soo Cho

aSSiStant DirECtor

Yun Jeong Choi

DESignEr

eul Bong Yee

PhotograPhEr

ryan hanwool Kim (imP 2nd, khwools@hotmail.com)

BuSinESS anD aDminiStrativE managEr

Eric Ji (imP 1st, ji_eric@hotmail.com)

outrEaCh managEr/ rEPortEr

Eugene lee (PiC 2nd, eugene3227@gmail.com)

CommuniCationS managEr/ aSSoCiatE EDitor

Jennifer Frost (PiC 3rd, jenniferfrost@hotmail.co.uk)

aSSoCiatE EDitor/ rEPortEr

Diana Fauzan (imP 1st, deefauzan@gmail.com)

CoPy EDitor/ rEPortEr

Justin ahn (KSP 2nd, jahn716@gmail.com)

managing EDitor

Kimberely hall (KSP 3rd, kimberely.hall@gmail.com)

EDitor in ChiEF

Juhern Kim (PiC 4th, zestor33@gmail.com)

2009 Copyright/ Yonsei Graduate School of International Studies

W hen Paul Carver was sixteen years old he visited Korea with his family, and from this point onwards Korea was to

be become an integral part of his life. On comple-tion of his studies at school in the UK Paul went on to University where he studied Chinese, during this time he spent a year studying in Beijing. Following the completion of his second year as an undergradu-ate Paul was to return to Korea.

“During the summer holiday after that [year in Bei-jing] I received a scholarship from the Korea Re-search Foundation to spend 6 weeks on a cultural in-troduction course and have been coming back ever since. After I graduated from University I applied for a scholarship to study for a graduate degree in Korea that was offered by Samsung and the Brit-ish Korean Veterans Association, which I was lucky enough to be awarded.”

When asked about his impressions on Korea, Paul Carver explains that as a teenager his memories are less specific but that “...it piqued my interest so that I considered studying Korean at university. Ultimately, my academic advisor talked me out of it because he thought it would be useless but sometimes I wish I’d stood up to him.” A few years later he would make his stand and commence his postgraduate studies in Korea. On arrival in Seoul he recalls how, “my first impression of Yonsei was how big the campus is”, but he soon became accustomed to this large and imposing campus and was able to fully embrace his new life, even finding a little love along the way, “I met my wife in the GSA President’s office.” So maybe this little glimpse will give hope to all those who are looking for romance in the halls of New Millennium Hall. More than the fact that he man-aged to find lifelong love at Yonsei GSIS, the school has played a significant role in his life. Following his

graduation from Yonsei GSIS he returned to the UK and qualified as an accountant. “I stayed there for four and a half years but eighteen months ago I transferred back to Korea to work for Samil Price-waterhouseCoopers in their Transactions Services Team. Mostly, I work on cross-border M&A.”

Even today he is unable to shake off his Yonsei GSIS pride, “Well, most of the people at work are from the SKY universities (why isn’t this called YSK?), and people are surprised to hear that I am a Yonsei grad-uate. I like to make fun of the Yonsei-Korea rivalry and so, for example, recently I printed out a Yonsei badge and stuck it over the Korea University badge on my friend’s paperweight. He didn’t notice for a week”. It seems that University competitive rivalry never ends and those social traditions among peers can continue long after graduation, “Beyond that, I keep in touch with most of my contemporaries from Yonsei and meet up for a beer quite regularly.”

Paul Carver plans to remain in Korea for a few more years with his wife and two young children. It is obvious that he looks back at Yonsei GSIS with fond memories and has made the most of all op-portunities that have come his way; in closing he shares his pearls of wisdom for the current and future students of Yonsei GSIS. “I hope students would remember that gaining an education is more than just expanding knowledge; it is about develop-ing yourself as a well-rounded person. Participate in as many extra-curricular activities as you can be-cause it will enable you to make friends and develop a network of contacts that you can lean on long after you have left Yonsei.” Paul Carver’s story is a short reminder of how all experiences and encoun-ters each day may change lives forever and lead to unexpected places; it is essential that opportunities are seized and embraced.

* Paul Carver is working at the Samil PricewaterhouseCoo-pers as a manager in the Transaction & Financial Advisory Services division.

Paul CarverMA in International Management Program,

Yonsei GSIS 2000-2002

GSiS GlimpSe >>

By Jennifer Frost

Yonsei GSIS is pleased to announce the appointment of a new Associate Dean Lee Hee-jin. We wish him success and best wishes in his new appointment and look forward to all he brings to the Yonsei GSIS community.

aNNouNcemeNtS >

addReSS262 Seongsanno, Seodaemungu,

Seoul 120-749, Korea

telephone82-2-2123-3291~3

homepaGehttp://gsis.yonsei.ac.kr/