This summer, 13 Students and two faculty members are traveling to South Korea to study Korea’s remarkable economic journey in the post-war period, while strengthening their skills and deepening their understanding of leadership in action in the world. Please enjoy this blog post on the groups second day in Korea from Nate ’27 and Spencer ’27 where they share about how students learned about global citizenship and resilience through a powerful session with Liberty in North Korea (LiNK) and explored collaborative leadership and innovation during an immersive visit to Coupang.
By Nate ’27:
The first part of the day we had an amazing opportunity to meet the representative of an organization called LiNK(Liberty in North Korea). We were able to ask many questions.
LiNK was created by college students, that devoted their summer by helping North Korean refugees. Now this organization encompasses thousands of members and investors all around the globe that puts their heart and resources into saving lives. This motivated us to learn more about global citizenship! As being isolated from the world, North Korean people do not have a choice where to stay, with lots of them willing to see the world. LiNK is devoted to finding the best route through China and South Asia for the North Korean citizens to relocate to South Korea. It was a sad story to hear about 🙁
Most of the time, North Koreans struggle fitting into the South Korean society, similar to some Deerfield students coming for the first time. For example, their accent limits their ability to conform to their new environment. LiNK allows North Koreans to better their lives. They teach them English to have a good opportunity to also study abroad. Almost like our CSGC.
In her story, Ilwha Choe highlighted how difficult the choice of leaving family in North Korea and taking her life in her own hands was. We saw the leadership from the side of being ready to take upon the huge responsibility which sometimes arises from unexpected times. Only being a 14-year-old and she was ready to embark of a dangerous journey of breaking from the constant propaganda and harsh living conditions of her hometown and saving her and her family’s lives by leaving the border. Thankfully, her family was able to stay safe!
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By Spencer ’27:
Following our experience with LiNK, the crew embarked on a journey to Coupang. One of the largest e-commerce companies in the world founded by Deerfield alum Kim-Bom-Suk. I was particularly excited for this opportunity because I believed that on the off chance that Mr. Kim be present, I could charm him into funding my future endeavors— Maybe I could finally land a job. Unfortunately, Mr. Kim was not in the country during our visit.
I suppose the factory was also great. The group was split in two and we each took on the roles of factory employees. Through this experience, we witnessed leadership in its collaborative form. Not only did we have to communicate to successfully complete the tasks, when the machines went awry (thanks to me), the staff collaborated and took charge of the situation. Maybe Mr. Kim will remember us after all.
