As the title suggests, my experience in Korea this summer was just that—wonderful. Enrolled in the Ewha-Harvard Summer School Program in Film, and Korean Culture and Language, I expected a summer of just class intermixed with some excursions and outings here and there. However, this was not the case. The EHSSP exceeded all my expectations and has become one of my best and most meaningful experiences of my Harvard career. From training in film and daily Korean language classes to making my own documentary film and having the chance to integrate Korean...
Hyeok Hweon Kang, G2 EALC Graduate Student, Recipient of a Korea Institute Summer Research Grant
Guns, Germs, and Ghosts: Exorcising the Chosŏn Dynasty of Korea
Thanks to the generous support of the Korea Institute, I had a fruitful summer in South Korea conducting research for my forthcoming article in the Routledge Handbook on Asian Music: Cultural Intersections. My research traced the development of military rites during the Chosŏn dynasty of Korea (1392-1910). Specifically, I sought to examine the symbolic and political significance of...
From late May through August, the LG Yonam Foundation Graduate Summer Research Travel Grant enabled me to travel to Korea and continue my dissertation research on the growth of New Religious Movements in colonial Korea. The first thing I did was to embark on a field trip to one of the sites that factors importantly in my project – Mount Kyeryong (near present day Taejŏn) which had been the center for numerous New Religious Movements and Shamanistic practices due to its role in geomantic prophesies that had been passed down since the mid-to-late Chosŏn dynasty. While many of the religious...
Caleb Lee ’17 Tuition waiver at Ewha Womans University – Summer 2014
Through the generous support of the Korea Institute, I enrolled in two courses at the International Co-ed Summer College at Ewha Womans University in Seoul, South Korea. As it was the first time I would be embarking on a summer trip in a foreign country alone, I was somewhat nervous but also excited to begin the program; not to mention it was my first time returning to the country of most of my extended family since I was five years old.
After having studied the Korean language prior to this summer, I applied to KI’s internship program with the hope that I would have the opportunity to further my language skills while gaining work experience in a field I have long been interested in: journalism. My internship at The Korea Herald and the time I spent in Korea as a whole was not only enriching but made for the most satisfying summer experience I have had as a Harvard student.
At the Korea Herald, I was assigned to the national desk, where I covered...
My internship at the National Assembly in South Korea this summer has been no doubt one of the most memorable experiences in my life. For a long time, I had interest in comparative government and legislative procedures at international scales and so I was naturally drawn to the prospect of seeing the Korean legislative body firsthand. Believe it or not, my internship site provided me with much more!
At the National Assembly I was able to sit in during various committee sessions in the National Assembly organized by the Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee. My internship...
Since taking a seminar on human trafficking freshman year, I have spent time in and out of the classroom learning more about international human rights and. This summer, thanks to the support of the Korea Institute and the FDR Global Fellowship, I had the opportunity to conduct thesis research in China and Korea. My primary research question was “Under what circumstances do sex trafficking policy changes occur in China and in the Republic of Korea?” My weeks in Seoul were incredible in more ways than one. First and foremost, despite initial challenges securing interviews in...
I spent my summer as an intern for the International Film Sales and Development team at CJ Entertainment. I had always been interested in entertainment, but mainly music. Though I had watched several CJ films growing up in my home, I was wary about interning in the film side of entertainment. I did not know what would be expected of me or even how the industry was composed. However, this experience was an eye-opening chance to learn not only about the Korean film industry, but also on international markets.
My Korean experience is best broken down into three parts: the film class excursion, Korean classes, and my individual experiences.
During the excursion week, we were dismissed from Korean class and were able to experience many areas of Korea. On the first day, we explored Korea’s past history through exploring Seodaemun Prison, Namdaemun market, the Seoul Museum of History, and the Changdeok Palace. Between the horrors of the prison only a few decades ago to the changing dynamics of the old market current market, Korea is a very unique country that is still far from...
Whether you spent your summer in Korea or are thinking about going to Korea, we welcome you to drop by the Korea Institute to learn about our upcoming events & resources that the Korea Institute offers. We very much look forward to getting to know you or reconnecting with you after you've returned. We are located in CGIS South at 1730 Cambridge St. on the second floor, room S228.
