2019 Summer Internship
Seowoo Chung, Political Science and International Relations at Korea University

I worked at the East Asia Institute as an intern from July 1^st, 2019 to July 26^th, 2019. Pursuing a career in academia and research, I decided to apply for an internship at the EAI, an independent think tank which researches and recommends policy on international issues.

As a research assistant I was given the following responsibilities. I put together sample designs and classified EAI publications for the EAI Annual Report. I helped the KF Korea Workshop run smoothly, performing duties regarding event preparations, photos, publicity, event moderations, and more. I also collected and classified articles to be uploaded in the archival web page Global North Korea and designed a brochure in Korean and English for the aforementioned web page to be distributed in official EAI events.

One of the best things about the internship was being able to experience firsthand how policy researches are conducted. Watching professionals work has enabled me to grasp how a think tank operates in evaluating existing policies and recommending new ones, much more so than prior to the internship. I realized that behind articles and policy recommendations exists an intellectual network that had been built through continuous effort of many individuals. I also learned that civil-level efforts such as communications between think tanks from around the world contributes to international peace through participating in cultural exchange events, academic conferences hosted by the EAI. I noticed actors unrecognized by conventional international relations theories.

My internship experience has led me to really understand a possible career option as a policy researcher—I now have a better idea of what sort of work I will do and what my daily life will be like if I work in this field. I am grateful to have gained foundations from which I can build on as I continue pursuing a professional career.