It has been almost 4 months since I have started the international student report activity within the Ministry of Unification. Even back home, in Romania, I have always dreamt of getting involved in MOU activities.
After applying for a Masters’ Degree in Korea, I began looking for different activities related to my major - North Korean Studies. Searching on Facebook, I came across the information that the Ministry of Unification is looking for 20 enthusiastic international students who would be in charge of writing different articles related to the Korean Peninsula’s issues, the reunification process, etc., in both English and their mother tongue. I decided to apply for this program, even though at the beginning I was quite pessimistic about my chances. However, I received the email of acceptance which made me very happy but, at the same time, I understood there were many things I needed to learn in order to be able to carry on with my duties. So far we had many activities that allowed me to experience many new and interesting things; I was able to meet extraordinary people and visit places that helped me deepen my knowledge Korean history, unification problems, etc.
After being accepted, we had a ceremony where we met Hong Yong-pyo, Minister of Unification, and also the previous Korean students who got involved in the MOU program. During our meeting with the Minister, we got the chance to ask him questions about NK and MOU’s activities. After we took a group picture, we went to YangPyeong (a city located in Gyeonggydo) for a workshop.
Our 2 days trip was a nice experience. We met the secretary of MOU and got our business cards. Also, we got the chance to meet and talk with a NK defector. The next day, we went to a traditional Korean restaurant and, after finishing our lunches, we went to visit a history museum.
The next big event we had to participate in expo on unification event that took place in Gwanghwamun, being one of the most important events held by the MOU every year.
I entered the runway models event, where we had to wear our traditional clothes and show international support for Korean reunification. It was touching to see how many foreign students were interested in the unification of the Korean Peninsula.
For three days, everyone was able to take part in different activities. I like the most the one that had us imagine a new flag for a united Korea. It was amazing to design a new flag and let our imagination fly. Many Korean children drew unbelievable flags which made me think that where there is will and hope good things will happen.
Besides this type of big events, we meet every month in order to talk about our articles, struggles, things we would like to improve and so on. We end our meetings with a tasty dinner.
Still, the most important experience I have had so far was my summer camp in China, along with the one day trip to the DMZ. Since I have already talked about the DMZ trip, I would like to write more about the unification leader camp. I was asked if I can participate in a camp organized by MOU in China. At the beginning I did not realize what that means but, once I got my Chinese visa, I knew there was no turning back and I was going to take part in a 6 days adventure. I can honestly say that this trip exceeded all my prior expectations.
Everything was so well organized, from the schedule to the rental of the bus. We were treated with great care and ate at the best Chinese restaurants. Apart from all of that, my personal benefit was that I got to learn more about Korea. Hanging out with Korean people helped me find out more about their history and culture, as well as improving my Korean skills.
For me, it was an honor to be chosen to take part in this trip to China and I am honestly thankful for the opportunity. I learned many new things and I could say this camp made me fall in love with Korean poems, especially those written by Yoon Dong Ju. Thanks to this camp, I learned about Ahn Jung Geun and about the people with Korean-Chinese parentage.
During these 4 months, I had only nice experiences and I am sure that for the remaining time (around 8 months) we will be able to learn more about Korean unification. At the same time, we must not forget to carry on our duty of letting the international community know more about Korean Peninsula’s issues.
All you have to do is stay tuned, follow our page and give us all your support. We are enthusiastic students that want to pursue their dreams of making this internship a wonderful experience in Korea.
As we are the first group of international student reporters recruited by MOU, our wish is to do a good job and to become a good example for the next year group and for the new international students.
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