I’m Cho Suyen, a youth researcher with VANK from March to August 2024, and I’d like to share my experiences and reflections from these six months. After finishing my fourth semester, I decided to take a break from school, hoping to find meaningful work. A professor introduced me to VANK’s intern program, and although I was initially unfamiliar with the organization, the mission of promoting Korean culture and language worldwide deeply resonated with me. That inspiration led me to apply, and I began working at VANK’s Yangjae office on March 5.

Throughout my internship, I was involved in various projects each month, each one bringing unique insights and challenges:

• March: I started by writing petitions for VANK’s platforms, focusing on topics like endangered species and the rights of foreign residents in Korea. These petitions sparked my interest in a broad range of social issues and inspired me to stay updated on current events to generate impactful content.
• April: My first project as a VANK youth researcher was a campaign to raise awareness about King Sejong, which I launched alongside my fellow researcher, Choi Yeon-seo. This project celebrated King Sejong’s legacy and commemorated Teacher’s Day as his birthday. It was especially meaningful as it was my first collaboration with an external organization, the King Sejong Memorial Society.
• May: I worked on a project to promote native Korean words, particularly by highlighting subway station names derived from traditional Korean. We created petition campaigns, card news, and reels to raise awareness, even submitting a request to the Seoul Metro to include native station names in announcements to foster cultural awareness among commuters.
• June: In honor of Patriots and Veterans Month, we launched the “Put Down the Pen, To the Frontline” campaign to honor young student soldiers who sacrificed for Korea. We also began developing a metaverse project about King Sejong, which introduced me to new concepts and provided valuable teamwork experience.
• July: I started a “Living Heritage” campaign to spotlight Korea’s intangible cultural heritage. I wanted to highlight that Korea holds 22 UNESCO-designated intangible cultural assets, many of which are deeply woven into everyday life. Working with the Cultural Heritage Administration, I created materials to promote Korea’s traditional holidays, like Seollal and Chuseok.
• August: I spent my last month at VANK working on a blog series about VANK’s work on global issues and initiating a project to showcase the diverse styles of traditional Korean attire, focusing on hanbok from the pre-Joseon period. This project aimed to expand people’s understanding of Korean traditional clothing beyond what is typically seen.

As I look back, I’m grateful for the support I received from my supervisors, fellow researchers, and colleagues. Working at VANK allowed me to tackle projects that felt daunting on my own but achievable within the organization. Each project taught me a lot and brought personal growth, and seeing positive responses to our work was truly rewarding.

Now, I’m ready for the next chapter, but I’ll always be grateful for my time at VANK.