From September 1^st to September 10^th, Professor Jong-Il You and 32 Korean students from diverse backgrounds visited four European countries; the United Kingdom, France, Belgium, and Germany for 2015 International Field Research and Study (IFRS). The main purpose of the IFRS was “Sustainable Development Policy and International Development Cooperation Cases of Europe.” The program was thoroughly planned to visit to the well-known international organizations and schools. Also, the program included several cultural visits which were even more enriched with active participation of the students.

The first destination was London, the capital city of the UK. In London, the students visited the Bank of England, Lloyd’s building, and the Department for International Development (DfID) where they were given presentations respectively about ‘Monetary Policy after the Financial Crisis’, ‘Structure and Operation of the Insurance Market’, and ‘Sustainable Development.’

The students then moved to Paris, France to visit OECD and UNESCO to figure out a way to examine the subject of ‘Financing for Development’ and ‘Partnering on Development.’ A student of the KDI School who is currently doing an internship at UNESCO accompanied in most of the schedule in Paris and gave some useful tips to the general students about the internship opportunities.

 In addition, the students visited ESSEC Business School where Professor Charles H. Cho, who gave a lecture at KDI School on July this year, presented ‘Corporate Social Responsibility Reporting in France.’ The ESSEC Business School is one of our partner schools that agreed to exchange their students each year through a dual degree program, GLiMPSE (Global Leaders in Management and Policy in South Korea and Europe). The team met with two KDI School students who are now studying at the ESSEC Business School and had lunch together. This meeting motivated the other students to participate in the dual degree program in the next year.

Leaving behind the romantic city of Paris, the students moved to Brussel, Belgium to visit the European Commission (EC) and KU Leuven which is another partner institution of KDI School. At the EC, the students mainly learned the structure of the European Union (EU). They gained further knowledge about the EU’s foreign policy at the KU Leuven. The IFRS was finalized with the trip to Rudesheim, Germany which locates in the UNESCO world heritage Middle-Rhine valley.

According to the survey after the trip, the satisfaction rate of overall lectures was 97.8% and that of contribution to personal development or career was 95.6%. The students were able to enhance their global competitiveness through understanding the implications of sustainable development and observing the European way of life. Overall, it was such a meaningful experience for the students as they could get along with one another regardless of their ages or professions.

By Sojeong Lisa Jeong (2015 MDP, Korea)