미지센터의 청소년 국제교류이야기

해를 거듭할수록 글로벌리더쉽에 대한 학부모와 학생들의 관심이 높아지면서 미지센터(www.mizy.net)에서 주최하는 희망누리체험단의 관심 또한 높아져왔다. 작년과 비슷하게 올해에도 중학교 팀 14개, 고등학교 팀 10개로 총 24개의 팀이 여름방학 기간 중에 파견될 예정이다.
올해 139명의 참가자 중 한 명으로, “자기주도 학습의 힘, 세계의 대안학교“를 주제로 인도로 파견될 예정인 은평고(2학년) 최원영 학생과 인터뷰를 해보았다.

* 희망누리체험단에 지원하게 된 동기는? 
 가장 큰 동기는 학교 선배셨어요. 희망누리라는 게 있다는 걸 저에게 알려주셨다고 해도 과언이 아니니까요! 
제가 이번에 ‘자기주도 학습의 힘’이라는 주제로 인도를 가게 되었는데요, 이 주제에 지원하게 된 동기는, 초등학교 6학년 때부터 정식으로 학원을 다니기 시작해서 한 번도 쉰 적 이 없고, 대학생이 되어서 학원을 못 다니는 상황이 된다면 어떤 기분일지 상상해 봤어요. 옆에서 이거 해라 저거 해라 하시는 선생님도 안 계시고, 숙제도 없을 테니 공부를 하지 않을 거라 아니 못할 거라 생각했죠. 그래서 이번 기회에 공부하는 방법을 확실히 공부해보고 싶은 개인적인 바람이 있었어요

* 이번에 가게 된 나라와 주제에 대해서 간단하게 설명해본다면?앞에서도 간단히 말씀 드렸다시피 주제는’자기주도적 학습의 힘’이고요, 방문하게 된 나라는 ‘인도’에요. 주제에 대해 좀 설명해 드리자면, 말 그대로 자신이 주도하여서 공부할 수 있는 방법에 대해 연구하는 것입니다. 요즘 한창 입학사정관제니 뭐니 하면서 자기 주도적 학습이 빛을 받고 있지만, 그런 의미에서의 '학습' 혹은 '입학'을 목적으로 하는 프로그램은 아닙니다!

*  희망누리체험단 팀 내에서 맡은 역할 및 팀명은? 
 저희 팀 내에는 사진촬영담당, 알림이, 기록이, 타임키퍼, 회계 이렇게 5개의 역할이 있는데, 저는 팀 내에서 회계를 맡고 있어요. 제가 맡고 있는 회계는 타임키퍼가 기록한 지각자들과 팀 내 규칙을 안 지킨 사람들에게서 벌금을 걷는 것을 비롯해서 돈을 관리하는 역할이랍니다. 그 역할 외에 부알림이의 역할이 있는데, 말 그대로 알림이를 도와서 블로그를 운영하고, 홍보를 담당하는 역할이에요.
저희 팀명은 IN-KO Girls(인코걸즈)구요, 총 6명으로 구성되어있는데 모두 여자여서, 약간은 위험해보이는 인도로 가는 길이 조금 걱정이 되요.

 
* 아직 희망누리체험 프로그램을 모르는 친구들에게 한마디 해주신다면?
희망누리 프로그램, 너무 좋은거 같아요. 저도 이런 프로그램이 있는지조차 모르는 사촌동생에게 알려주면서 꼭 한번 해보라고 당부를 했는데, 혼자서는 할 수 없는 일도 팀을 구성함으로써 일이 쉬워지잖아요. 물론 주변에 맞는 친구들과 여건이 닿아서 이러한 연구를 할 수 있겠지만, 서울시에서 선발됐다는 그 자부심과, 비록 뽑히지는 않았더라도 면접이라는 것을 다른 사람들보다 먼저 경험하게 된 것, 그것도 되게 큰 의미인 거 같아요.

저도 서류를 작성해서 제출할 때는 '그래 도전하는 데 의의를 두자', 이런 마음으로 제출했다가 면접 보러 갈 때는 '그래 좋은 경험한다 생각하고 보자', 이렇게 생각하면서 심사에 임했어요. 서울시에서 60명밖에 뽑지 않는 자리이고 그것도 모두 각 학교를 대표하는 사람들만 모이니 붙을 확률보다 떨어질 확률이 높은 게 당연한 거잖아요. 그래서 비록 제가 이 자리에서 떨어졌다 하더라도 거기에 좌절하거나 슬퍼하지는 않았을 거 같아요.

만약 아직 희망누리라는 프로그램에 대해 모르고 있다면, 최대한 빨리 인터넷에 검색해 보는 게 좋을거 같아요. 비용을 지원해주니깐 부모님께 죄송스러워 할 필요도 없고, 무엇보다도 다른 어느 곳에서도 할 수 없는 경험이에요. 희망누리에 참여하신 많은 선배 분들은 인생의 터닝 포인트가 되는 기회라고 말씀하세요. 매일 똑같이 학교에 다니며 교과서 공부를 하는 것보다 인생에 있어서 더 좋은 영향이 있을 것 같아요.

* 앞으로의 각오 한 마디
아직 시작과정인데도 불구하고 준비할게 너무 많고, 체력적으로도 너무 힘든 게 많은 것같아요. 무엇보다도 학생회 일하랴 공부하랴 희망누리 숙제 하랴 너무 정신이 없다는 게 제일 힘들어요. 특히 축제 준비과정에서 학생회에 전적으로 집중을 하지 못하는 거 같아서 학생회 아이들에게 많이 미안해요.
그러나 걱정이 되는 반면 이제 앞으로 인도로 갈 날이 얼마 남지 않았다는 생각을 하면 잠이 오지 않을 정도로 많은 기대감이 듭니다. 앞으로도 희망누리 프로그램이 제 인생의 터닝 포인트가 될 수 있도록 더 열심히 해서 많은 걸 깨달았으면 좋겠다는 생각이 들어요, 그래서 앞으로 비록 몸은 좀 힘들지라도 열심히 하겠습니다!

* 2011 희망누리체험단 프로그램 일정

2007년 1기 지원자  모집을 시작으로 현재까지 5기 참가자들의 모집까지 희망누리체험단은 해외 현지 파견을 앞두고 최종 선발자들과 국내 사전교육, 기체험자들과의 피드백 및 서포팅 등 발대식을 앞두고 다양한 준비과정을 밟아가고 있다.

'보건의료와 적정기술이 만나다'라는 주제로 메디피스의 좋은 강의가 있었습니다.
이번 강의를 통해 김정태 UN거버넌스 홍보팀장님의 '적정기술'에 대한 소개와
김도형 에이드그린 대표님의 '적정기술'이 적용된 자사의 제품을 소개하는 시간을 가졌습니다.

(Photo provided by Medipeace)
 

 Tens and hundreds of high school students gathered in Korea University, to hear an assistant professor Yong Jin Kwon, MD., MPH, Office of Healthcare Policy, College of Medicine, Seoul National University, share his hard-earned experiences in March 26^th, 2011. This lecture was the first to open the Chung-chul-au-ram(청출어람) project, conducted by Medipeace, a medical NGO to provide medical aids to foreign countries. The project is consisted of 6 speakers, all of them who are thought to contribute to the international society. Its purpose lies on educating students who wishes to be raised in a global scale. Six speakers are scheduled to give presentation for six months, one speaker per month. 
  

 Professor Kown's lecture started with a comment on Koreans as global citizens. “Koreans have very strong sense of nationality. However, many of us fail to see that we are Koreans among citizens of the Universe.”  He continued his lecture with what kind of attitude a global minded doctor should have. He believes life is considered worthwhile when people find in need of themselves.

 

 On the other hand, visiting less developed nations to provide medical support gave him courage as a doctor. For example, in Uzbekistan, medical systems and equipments were fragile. When he was going through a heart surgery, the air conditioner stopped and the heart temperature began to rise, which is highly dangerous. He ordered nurses to grind ice and lay them occasionally on the patient’s heart. The surgery ended sucessfully and the patient was able to save his life.

 He told that such method was also practiced only two decades ago in Korea. He added, “If doctors from the U.S. or Japan came here to proceed the same surgery in the same condition, they would have refused to finish, because they believe it is unethical to handle the heart any other ways.” Korea is positioned in a more understanding situation in that of developing nations’. “True doctors are the ones throwing themselves away in the front line. Doctor themselves should be there to look after 10 million people. Doctors should always be near people who are suffering. ”

 Lastly, he emphasized the meaning of volunteering. “Volunteering is only meaningful when the recipient of the benefit feels they have received help and are grateful.”

 With his heart-warming lessons, students gave him a round of applause, because most Korean students were only busy trying to use their volunteer hours for college applications.

 Students anticipated that natural disasters will occur more frequently, population will duplicate in a fast rate, which will lead to other problems - social instability and overwhelming concentration. Hopefully nations will agree on a consensus of taking responsibility upon the damages done to the environment, but the possibility seemed feeble to the students.

 Lee Yeh Sol(19), a participant from Haeseong Girl’s High School, told that her dream is to become a CEO. She believes when running a company, it is necessary to own flexible eyes towards the contemporary issues, which is one of the virtues of entrepreneurialism. After hearing the lecture, she said she became more aware of the issues that seemed not at all related to her before.

 “I truly feel like I am not only a citizen of South Korea, but also a contributing member of the universe. I would like to encourage all students participate in this program. Students could indirectly experience the world not so familiar, and further broaden insights on the issues as students share their thoughts through discussions and debates."

 Professor Kwon's inspiring lecture is only a start of Medipeace's project, Chung-chul-au-ram. There will be more chances for youth who are interested in broadening their thoughts over bettering the world. Five more lectures will be presented, and the scheduled lecture and lecturers will be the following:

New Writing Style: Portraying with the Headlight on One’s Car

“My work every day is first to write as well as I can, to get better as a writer, as opposed to “representing” anything/anyone in particular, or speaking for a particular group. “

                                                                        -Sonya Chung   

           Many people ask Sonya Chung, the writer of Long for This World, “How can you survive as a Korean-American writer in the land of United States?” She answers with determination that it is her writing that identifies her work; not her race. Indeed, Chung is correct. It is her writing that defines the characters of Sonya Chung as a writer. Her unique, yet soft style of writing has captured many readers’ hearts through her first novel, Long for This World.

           Sonya Chung’s debut novel Long for This World starts by two brothers after the Korean War-one deciding to be Korean and the other deciding to be Korean-American. The story starts from the point of the brother who has immigrated to the United States in the decision to becoming Korean-American, Han Hyun-ku.  His daughter, Jane, and he unexpectedly go to Korea after 40 years in the U.S. The story progresses by showing Korea-Americans trying to fit in the Korean society. They are awkward of the unfamiliar cultures and struggle to understand. Later the story moves on to the perspective of other characters and each character tells the story of how they are trying to fit in this family and the new world. Based on Sonya Chung’s own experiences of visiting Korea herself as a Korea-American, the story is told in lively languages. Her experiencing of visiting Korea has inspired to her write this novel. After all, she is a Korean-American herself.

Reasons why people need to pay attention to Sonya Chung

Many people are probably not familiar with Sonya Chung and her work yet, since she is a new-comer to the world of novels. However, her soft yet vivid use of language is receiving many attentions from the literature world in the United States. She has been the recipient of Pushcart Prize nomination, the Charles Johnson Fiction Award, and the Bronx Council on the Arts Writers’ Fellowship & Residency. Her strategy of writing in a step-by-step process is well praised by many people. Chung said that her writing will not feel like looking at the whole society on a sunny evening. Instead she said that the reader will probably feel like driving through a dark foggy night with only the headlights on. As the headlight only shines a little at a time, so does her writing as she portrays the characters’ mentalities. As well as she expands the psychology of characters, she introduced the Korean cultures to many Americans. At her meeting with fans at the University of Maryland Ulrich Recital Hall, American readers said that they have been able to learn about new Korean cultures through her novel. Today, she speaks of her work and exposes her hopes that Long for This World would get more popular in Korea; popular enough for someone to translate into Korean.  

Photo Credit: Robin Holland

Q. Could you introduce yourself to us?  

A. I am Sonya Chung, a writer and writing teacher living in New York City. I was born in Washington, DC, and have lived in Maryland, Seattle, and New York.  My first novel, LONG FOR THIS WORLD, was published (by Scribner) in March 2010.  My parents were both born in S. Korea; they emigrated to the U.S. in the mid 1960s.

Q. Why did you decide to write a novel based on a Korean and Korean-American Family in 'Long for this world’?

A. The initial inspiration for LONG FOR THIS WORLD was in 2002, when I visited Korea for the first time.  I was meeting relatives I’d never met before and seeing the places where my parents grew up.  In a small town near Pusan, one of my aunts (by marriage) was playing tour guide and hosting me, and I found her to be an intriguing woman.  She wasn’t very talkative, and because my Korean is not very good we didn’t communicate very well in words; but something about her intrigued me.  She had a quiet competence about her, a bit of mystery.  I wondered who she was and if she had a story.  (My family both didn’t know much about her background, and didn’t talk about it – I think this was because she is not a blood relative, and because she is a woman, her identity subordinate to her husband.)  So I started writing the part of LONG FOR THIS WORLD that takes place in Korea, and I imagined a story for a woman like my aunt.  

The Korean American part of the story was also there from the beginning.  I knew that the novel would be about the interesting relationships between immigrants and their native place, and that there would be parallel stories in Korea and the US which would collide/converge in some way.  In addition, I knew that Jane, the Korean American main character, would be someone who had traveled a lot, who was worldly (in the novel she is a photojournalist); I wanted the story to encompass more than just Korea and the US.

 
Q. Does being Korean have any kinds of effects on your writer life in American? (Positive or negative)

A. It’s hard to know what the effects are.  There is a wonderful Asian American writer’s community in New York, and across the country, which I am fortunate to be a part of.   Also, I think a positive aspect is that many American readers are interested in stories of cultures that are different from their own – writers like Chang-rae Lee, Jhumpa Lahiri, Zadie Smith, and Junot Diaz, for example, has a very wide readership in the US.  For the most part, though, I think of myself as a writer, not primarily a “Korean American writer.”  Which is to say that my work every day is first to write as well as I can, to get better as a writer, as opposed to “representing” anything/anyone in particular, or speaking for a particular group.    

 
Q.  Have you ever read any Korean literatures? If yes, what book and what do you think about it? If no, do you have any interest in Korean literatures?

A. I have wanted to read Hwang Sun-won’s work, and I am excited that Shin Kyung-sook’s work is now being translated into English.  (Unfortunately, I don’t read Korean well enough to read literature in Korean.)  Also, there is a book that was written about my great grandfather, Song Chang-keun, who was a well-known theologian; I wish I could read that book, or that someone would translate it!

 Q. How did you become a writer in America? Was there any hardships?

A. It was, and is, very challenging.  For immigrant families, the job of a writer is one that seems unstable and unfamiliar.  Many Koreans emigrate to the US with the hopes that their children will do well academically, professionally, and financially.  A writer’s life is not as easily accepted as that of a doctor, or an engineer, or a lawyer, for instance.  So the decision to become a writer was somewhat lonely for me; it wasn’t something that my family quite understood or for which they could offer much support.  

In addition, when you are starting out as a writer, and even later after you’ve published a book, it is very difficult to make a living from your writing.  So you have to always be figuring out ways to earn income while also writing books and stories.  These things are always in competition, i.e. your “job” and your writing.  In 2006, after I’d been working on LONG FOR THIS WORLD for two years, I quit my full-time job because I felt I needed time and space to finish the novel.  This was a big risk, and an anxious time, because I didn’t know if I could finish it, and I didn’t know if I could get it published.  I was happy and relieved that I was able to do both.

Lastly, writing itself is very difficult; it requires so much patience, and solitude, and you are always facing the blank page, figuring out how to tell your story.  It never really gets easier, and in many ways it gets harder.


 
Q.  Can you give words of cheers to anyone that is deeply interested in being a writer like you?
 
A. I would say: 1) Read a lot, read all the time, read the best writers; reading is your best teacher 2) Expect difficulties.  Writing well is difficult, getting published is difficult, getting your book to be recognized can be extremely difficult.  3) Because it’s difficult, you should pursue writing only if you love it, if you are someone who feels you MUST do it in order to fulfill your sense of purpose and your sense of yourself in the world.  The writing itself is its own reward; everything else is somewhat out of your control, so you can’t count on it.  Good luck!

This interview has been done by e-mail through the MIZY youth reporter MinKyung Kim and Sonya Chung.

Super Korean Power Dazzling Greatly by “Stars”

 “Obba, obba!”

 
    Tens of thousands of fascinated teen girls with blushed pink-rose cheeks scream out their idol’s names as loud and high as they can with their best soprano voices. Crowded Korean restaurants full of customers of different looks shouting out the same name for their meals. These are some of the results of nowadays’ ‘Han-ryu’, which is ‘a colossal hurricane of Korean cultures’ capturing and intriguing innumerable global fans, especially here in China.

     By the January of 2011, in a book store in Nanjing, China, a book called “동방신기- 신이 세상에 준 기적 (东方神起- 神遗落在人间的奇迹, TVXQ- The miracle God granted to the world) recorded the Top 1 bestseller. The book is about the past seven years Korean top Han-ryu group band “동방신기”(English abbreviation: TVXQ) has lived as singers and stars. Despite of different nationalities, Chinese readers passionately purchased the biographies. “The sales rates between TVXQ’s book and the Top2 best seller book differ very much. It is the first time to see customers being so excited over the biographies of singers,” said Fensiwang, a Chinese web portal site. “Some customer still asks the publisher about TVXQ’s biography.” 

 

 

                                       <The Miracle God granted to the World> ranked No.1 bestseller book

 

      TVXQ's 7-year biography, <The miracle God granted to the world> on the web site of Hunan wenyi publisher.

My “Short Han-Ryu Journey” on a Weekend

                                     Countless Korean characters seen anywhere in Beijing 

     As a Korean high school student who have dwelled here in Beijing for five years, I could feel the heat and passion of ‘the Han ryu effect’ in my daily life. While strolling along a street in Beijing, I encountered “삼겹살”(Sam gyup sal, Korean barbecue), “노래연습장” (No rae yeon seup jang, Karaoke) and “한국 화장품”(Han guk hua jang poom, Korean cosmetics) written on numbers of places. As I entered one of “Korean” buildings, a man’s eye full of confidence immediately captured my attention. “The Best, 2011 Rain Asia Tour Concert”, the poster of a Korean singer Rain’s concert was attached to the wall. With slight laughter, soon I could see several Chinese customers at “Casting”, a Korean beauty salon satisfyingly receiving hairdressing services.

                                       The combination of Korean characters and Chinese characters

To the way back home, a familiar melody of a song called “Gee” by Korean girl band “Girl’s Generation” merrily entered my ears. This was not even an amazement, since I even have heard of the more brand-new Korean song in a local Chinese village, isolated from the foreign influence. After having passed by “Artbox”(Korean stationery brand) and “Paris Baguette”(Korean bakery brand) full of customers, I got home. With a slight sigh in coziness, I turned on computer and surfed on the most popular and well-known Chinese video web sites, “Tudou” and “Youku”. With a curiosity, I typed “韩国” (Han guo, means “Korea” in Chinese) on both sites. Tudou came up with 329,812 videos, 108,945 of them related to entertainment. Youku showed up with 404,660 videos, which is even more than Tudou.

 Han-Ryu Molten into My Friends’ lives

“Anything ‘Korean’ is always awesome!”

Fei, my best friend in the same class with me from Macau is an enormous fan of Korea, infected by the ‘Han-ryu effect’ her friends offered her. Fei has lived in Beijing and several other Chinese cities for the most of her life. She has been influenced by Korean influences in her surrounding circumstances. She is particularly crazy with Korean food and clothes. “Korean food is extremely yummy! I love the kimchi your mom makes. Korean moms are excellent at cookery, really!” Fei got trapped into Han-ryu hurricane without any intentional purposes. Although she did not have any Korean friends before, via her Chinese classmates, she fell in love with Korea. “All of my Chinese classmates are accustomed to Korean products. I naturally got influenced by them. I often go out and grab the ones from Korean clothes shops and stationery stores.”

Beaming her blue eyes and blond hair, Eri from France got particularly excited with the talks over Korean celebrities and songs. She just came to my school in Beijing this semester. Eri emphasized, although she has lived in New York, Shanghai, Beijing and so many other cities, her only passion has been Korea. “I love Korean celebrities, especially! I love ‘Wonder Girls’(A Korean girl band) and their songs. When I lived in Shanghai, all my best friends were Koreans and they invited me to the ‘Han-ryu’ world.” Having glanced at her pinky i-Pod touch, numbers of Korean characters could be seen. “Oh, almost half of the songs in my i-touch are Korean. I don’t listen to French music at all.” Unable to understand such thought as a Korean, I asked Eri why she does not even look at her home country’s stars and music. “Koreans have their own unique styles. They have diversity of attractions to watch, feel and listen to. I especially love such creative and interesting Korean pop-dances! These are the reasons why I am fond of Korean culture.”

 Asking “Korea”

     Via the popularity of Korean cultures and via their Korean friends, numbers of my buddies from China, France, USA, Japan, Singapore, Hong kong, South Africa and so on often get opportunities to encounter Han-ryu. For such reason, I surveyed my friends from my class!

Korea makes me think of…

l  Hard-working students at academies after school!

l  TV shows, movies and dramas!

l  Plastic surgery!

l  Fashion, make-up, stylish hair-styles and lovely items!

l  Karaoke bars!

l  Korean food, especially Kimchi, kimbob, tteokbokki and Korean barbecue!

l  Parents who decide children’s future (excessive emphasis on education)!

l  Polite youngsters!

l  Patriotism!

l  Small land with good climate!

l  Busy people with their works or studies!

 
“When wandering around the shops and stores, you can see most of the Chinese women purchasing Korean make-up equipments, lotions, creams, clothes and accessories,” said Ms. Wu, my Chinese teacher in thirties. “Generally, my friends and neighbors love Korean electronics and cosmetics. I agree that they have high-quality.

A housewife shopkeeper working at “한국미”(Han guk mi, a Korean accessories brand) answered, “I also like Korean accessories. Do you see how these jewels are so equally and firmly embedded?” She kindly explained about the style and quality of Korean products.

 

                                          Korean characters written on products; wrong term


Han-Ryu, Keep Moving On!

There is a Chinese word “哈韩”. Pronounced as ‘Ha han’, its definition goes: “A colossal fan of Korea whose life is full of everything related to Korea”. It is not a false that I actually have seen numbers of ha-hans here in Beijing. Holding up LG mobile phones, spraying Misha perfumes and listening to Rain’s (A world-widely very well-known Korean singer and actor) songs, countless people from my school, neighbors and Beijing citizens have asked me about Korea with sparkling curiosity in their eyes. By now, it is no exaggeration that Korea has offered fresh style of life, fashion, entertainment, eating, and interests to Chinese people’s everyday life and much.

             On January 15^th, the communications officer for the UN Governance Center, Mr. Kim Jeong Tae gave a lecture during the MIZY Youth Reporters’ orientation. Mr. Kim has written many books, including Story wins Speculations and The Design for the 90%, which have helped, and is still helping, the youth to see the world in a different view. During the lecture, Mr. Kim stressed the importance of “paper power” in our information-based society and the ways in which the MIZY reporters can benefit from it.

             For next year or so, the newly recruited MIZY reporters will be writing articles on global interactions; to help them set some kind of guideline, the MIZY center invited Mr. Kim Jeong Tae on the MIZY Reporters Orientation Day. Having benefited from writing, Mr. Kim explains why’s for and how’s to writing using the following key words: paper power, publication, and search.

Paper Power:

“I can conquer the universe with 24 soldiers; they are the alphabet letters.”

             What powers does the paper have? What powers does the writing have? Well, according to Benjamin Franklin, he could conquer the universe with writing. This might be a little extreme, but Mr. Kim’s assertion is not much different. He says writing is one efficient tool in persuading the world, making the world see what you see. However, not all writing buys the hearts of the others. According to Mr. Kim, meaningful “stories” do the job right; but to write these good stories, you need much preparation, and here “reading” comes in.

             Mr. Kim says that reading is like filling a large jar, “You gradually fill up the space with the knowledge obtained through reading, and when the last drop of knowledge falls into the jar, the contents overflow. The overflowing pool of knowledge splashes on other people, and thus, the process of ‘sharing’ your knowledge begins.”

             Hence, it is not the reading process where the core power of paper lies; instead, it is the “sharing” part. Until now, it was you who were informed and persuaded by the writing of others, and the next process is for you to inform and persuade the others with your knowledge. Mr. Kim brands this next process “publication”. Publicizing does not refer to the process of formally producing a piece of writing, but it refers to the simple process of “making public what is private”. Thus, you may be young, inexperienced, and your stories might not be about the hot issues of today. Also, you nonetheless have all the right to “publicize” your stories. Through many steps of publicizing, you familiarize yourself with writing, and gradually develop skills for meaningful and persuasive writing.

             Mr. Kim gives his own experience in publicizing as an example. He has had many “publicizing” experiences. He first began his writing in his church pamphlet. Like most others, he initially found writing publicly a difficult task. But as the weeks passed by he started to express freely his ideas in the hope to practice revealing is ideas into words. With this experience as the foundation, he tried many writing tasks from then on, such as publicizing a book about life in the Korean army, working as a student journalist, and working in a publications company. Those practices have led him write a book in just few weeks, like in the case of Story Wins Speculations.

             The final keyword Mr. Kim stresses in writing is “searching”, on the internet.

             “Almost everything can be searched these days on the internet. What is searched is what is reliable and interesting. So, you should use this side of searching as a means to revealing and sharing your stories to a large audience in short amount of time. Nothing else can be an easier start to the journey of persuading the world”

             And this is where the MIZY reporters come in. The reporters have been given the chance to reveal themselves. As reporters, we have the duty to write meaningful and informing articles. We could simultaneously make this a chance to practice publicizing ourselves.

             Reporters who have heard the lecture were greatly inspired by the heartfelt advices of Mr. Kim Jeong Tae. Jae Hee, Choi(17), one of the English-reporters commented “The lecture was helpful for me in settling myself in the place of a reporter. I was a little anxious before, but now I plan to write articles that readers find easy to approach and understand, all the while developing myself with the repeated practices in writing.” Also, Korean-reporter Yong Min, Seo(17) said “I learned very much from the lecture, and look forward to writing articles that can represent the many advices the officer gave to us”.

/MIZY Youth Reporters, Ji-won Choi