KDI School in collaboration with Central Official Training Institute (COTI) organized the 2011 Global Government Official Seminar on International Policy. The five-day seminar took place intermittently from Sep. 2 to Oct. 14 with a large number of attendees. 208 participants involved international students from the KDI School and newly appointed Korean government officers. The program aimed at enhancing the participants’ understanding on public policies while providing a constructive platform for exchanging ideas and creating professional networks. The global nature of the seminar was apparent in the participant composition, coming from more than 40 countries with every continent represented.

The program consisted of discussion and presentations, volunteer work, sports day and teambuilding. During the discussion and presentation sessions, participants got acquainted with various global and governance issues and examined the contemporary challenges and ways to cope with them. Behind the valuable knowledge imparted to the participants were: Professor Kyung Bae Park (International Institute of Administrative Science), Professor Pan Suk Kim (Yonsei University), Professor Seung-Joo Lee (KDI School), Professor Kye-Woo Lee (KDI School) and Professor Dong-Young Kim (KDI School). The topics ranged from Public Trust and Governance to FDI and Global Development, from Korean ODA to Strategic Leadership for Collaboration.  

On the day of volunteering, the participants helped daily chores of the various facilities that take care of the needy in the metropolitan area. Working together in physical labor led them to build friendly ties, and the program had the participants ruminate on becoming a responsible citizen. The sports day brought many amusing moments and further strengthened the networks, but the highlight was teambuilding activities on Oct. 14^th. Participants were divided into 6 groups to learn, practice and deliver a NANTA or an A Cappella performance. The stage brimmed with fun and sweat, chuckles and claps, and of course with rhythm and melodies.

As the time was moving fast, participants were busy chatting, laughing, taking souvenir pictures and exchanging contacts. In his closing remarks, Dean Nam stressed that the friendship among the participants would open up a valuable channel for future collaboration. Strong applause from the participants confirmed that the 2011 Global Government Official Seminar had left behind lasting social capital among the future policymakers, who will foster broader cooperation in the international community and expedite the global development.

By Julius John LWENJE (2011 MPP, Tanzania)