From August 24th to 27th, 56 students both international and Korean participated in the annual Korea Field Research and Study. The four day and three night travel offered an opportunity to experience the past and present of industrialization and culture of Korea. Visits to powerful business sites, such as Hyundai Motors and Hyundai Heavy Industries in Ulsan, Posteel and POSCO History Museum in Pohang, and Korea Aerospace Research Institute in Daejeon, helped students understand the history of industrial development in Korea. On the other hand, sightseeing in Gyeongju, the capital city of Shilla dynasty, enriched their knowledge on the cultural heritage of Korea. Yen Thi Hai Dam (2010 MPP/ED Vietnam) said the KFRS trip realized one of her lifelong dreams of visiting Korean conglomerates. She especially enjoyed the lecture on Saemaeul Movement, which was a political initiative launched in 1970 by President Park Chung Hee to modernize the rural economy. “I admire what conglomerates have done to the economic development of Korea to make its name on the world scene. Yen added that the trip was a great opportunity to refresh her mind after a hectic summer semester and to bring friends closer. “Wherever we live in the world, good memories of friendship will live inside us forever.” Yen works for The Center of Business and Consulting on Management at Hanoi University of Technology, as a coordinator of Business Incubator Center as well asa team leader of Development Department. Her responsibilities include implementing start-up business projects and executing online training sponsored by World Bank, Microsoft, USAID, etc.

Anthony Gathogo Gathoni (2010 MPP Kenya) believes that developing nations need to take the initiative in finding ways to use the resources that they so abundantly have, which the world so greatly depend on. “Korea is a nation that was not blessed with natural resources,” he elaborates. “Yet Korea proved to the world that when you utilize what you do have with skills and knowledge, you can accomplish outstanding development.” Like Yen, he also liked the lecture on the Saemaeul movement which he found to be very educational and useful. “I believe the knowledge that I gathered from this trip will help me make viable decisions for the sake of my country, especially on the issues pertinent to the rural development. What I learned on the trip will also contribute to achieving my academic goals.” Anthony works with the Ministry of Finance in Kenya as an economist/statistician. His responsibilities include project preparation, budgeting, monitoring and evaluation, information and data management, as well as policy formulation. He is also a part of the Ministerial Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) committee.

By Janet Chin Shuk Henn (2009 MBA, Malaysia)