The KDIS International Relations Forum (KDIR) is an academic community created by a group of KDI School students in order to foster a better understanding of global affairs. KDIR’s main mission is to encourage debates on international affairs facing our world today, ensure cooperation among other forums at KDIS, and to raise awareness of international issues among the KDIS community. In this regard, KDIR plans to organize numerous special activities, wherein students and faculty members will be able to discuss topics on international relations, raise questions related to global affairs, and experience diplomatic meetings through special simulations.

More specifically, KDIR is engaged in activities including Model United Nations Conferences; workshops about the UN System, current international issues and diplomacy; inter-forum dialogues/discussions/debates between KDIS Regional Forums; conferences, lectures and debates about international issues; discussions and debates in parallel to major world economy or politics events; promotion of KDI School students and lumni business, ideas and services to potential professionals.

KDIR Forum: a commitment to KDI School’s philosophy

Since its creation on June 1, 2016, KDIR has put KDI School’s philosophy in the center of its action. Located in the heart of South Korea with a unique multicultural student’s body, KDI School is a perfect venue to interact about international issues. KDI School provides support for student organization and makes its various facilities available for use. In addition, the school hosts students from all over the world with different cultural and professional backgrounds. Included in its student roster are also professionals and academics in various fields, such as ministry officials, diplomats, and NGO workers. Such unique environment has provided a golden opportunity for the KDIR to gather different visions about the world and facilitate a high quality exchange of opinions. This commitment from KDIRm and from KDI School concretely translates the school’s philosophy “Shape the World, Pioneer the Future”.

KDIR Forum previous events: towards a positive action for the world

KDIR has engaged both students and the academic community since its creation. The Forum’s first main event discussed: “BREXIT, Trump and Our Time”. KDIR became among the very first organizations in the world to tackle this particular issue, just one day after the BREXIT’s referendum. This lecture given by Professor Byoung Joo KIM shed the light on the rise of nationalism in Europe that resulted into BREXIT and linking it with the rise of new political figures like Donald Trump on the other side of the Atlantic.

This Fall semester, KDIR comprehensively addressed the Syrian Refugees Crisis. Professor Baran HAN gave a lecture about “The Socio-Economic Impacts of Syrian Refugees and Possible Policy Responses”. The aim of this lecture was to shed light to the humanitarian crisis in Aleppo, Syria, by explaining the origins and complexity of the Syrian crisis from the International Relations perspective. Using scientific evidences and political economy, it also became an opportunity to present various policy responses to this global crisis. As a result, future policy makers at KDI School were able to gain knowledge about different ways to address the socio-economic issues rising from the refugee crisis in general.

KDIR: a multicultural community

KDIR is a student community with students coming from 15 countries from four different continents. Three of its alumni from Cameroon, Russia, and the Maldives are currently working in their respective governments, applying the experiences they gained from the KDI School and KDIR.

“The KDI School experience and the KDIR Forum field experience were highly valuable for my work within the Cameroonian Ministry of External Affairs. Both theoretical and practical knowledge acquired at KDI School enhanced my professional capacities. Also, my experience within the KDIR Forum gave me the chance to better understand the world through the unique multicultural community of KDIR.” Ashi Anoma, MPP 2015, Ministry of External Relations of Cameroon.

By Ranel Ram CHENG [2016 MPP, The Philippines]