Having received an official statement of invitation from the U.S. Embassy, the DIS students had expected a short "Q & A session" with the Secretary. However, due to the Secretary's heavy schedule for her 21 hour stay in Korea, only five minutes were given to the students, which was just enough time for shaking hands and taking pictures. Students showed disappointment at not really having been able to speak with the Secretary. Kang Seo-my (International Studies, 4) said, ?ot all things go as planned. It was a good experience in its own. Nonetheless, I hope such miscommunication does not occur again.
Yet, despite the brevity of the meeting, the Secretary managed to deliver an encouraging message to the DIS students. Prof. Yun states, "When I mentioned that we had studied Korea-U.S. relations, the Secretary commented that she would like to receive advice from us in the future. Declaring that international relations is a very good area to study, she said she hoped that the students would work hard and become future leaders in this important area."
According to Corina Sanders, an official at the U.S. Embassy in Seoul, the Secretary had expressed an interest in "meeting with future leaders in Korea," and the U.S. Embassy identified the students in the DIS as an appropriate group. This division was singled out due to the fact that they study Korea-U.S. relations in English with Prof. Yun. Another reason why DIS students were chosen was because of the division? significance as the first comprehensive interdisciplinary program in Korea covering politics, business, economics, development, and law related to global issues.
김나현
libre@ewhain.net