My experience with the Global Leaders Program

Greetings from Korea!

I am a local government official working for Gyeonggi Province. Our Province surrounds Seoul, the capital city of Korea, and has a population of 13.5 million people. Last year has been memorable for me because I participated in LOGODI's Global Leaders Program. I would like to introduce it briefly and share my experiences.

The Global Leaders Program is a ten-month training for local government officials in Grade 5 and 6. As its name implies, the program aims at developing participants' capacity for managing international business and cooperation. The curriculum concentrates on enhancing foreign language (mostly English) communication skills and specialized job-related capacities in the fields of international trade and negotiation, international exchanges and cooperation, and MICE. It also offers various subjects to expand participants’ understanding of current issues, such as the 4th industrial revolution, digital transformation, ESG, and UN-SDGs. In addition, there are courses for leisure activities to enhance physical and mental health – doing Pilates, playing the guitar and participating in meditation on scent, for example.

The program began with an online initiation ceremony on January 26, 2022. Due to social distancing restrictions to prevent the spread of COVID-19, all the lectures and activities were conducted online during the first 4 months. Online classes using the Zoom platform felt awkward at first but we – the 32 participants of the program - got used to it after a while. Small group discussions and answering questions through chat windows were common means of interaction for online classes. I enjoyed learning from home since it allowed me to spend more time with my family. As learning online continued for quite a long time, however, I felt fatigue with house chores. Since I was at home, I ended up taking care of more house chores than before, which made me busier. At the same time, online learning made me concentrate on my computer screen for about 6 hours a day, isolated from classmates and a lecturer. Fortunately, face-to-face format resumed in mid-May at LOGODI.

It was nice to meet my classmates and English teachers in person at LOGODI, which is situated in a peaceful rural area. English classes accounted for the largest portion of the curriculum. We, all together, tried best to improve our English skills because it was one of our main goal of joining this training course. We encouraged each other to keep practicing English. By the end of the program, our English capability improved greatly.

One of the best things while staying in LOGODI was that I was able to relax which was almost impossible when I was working. I enjoyed morning hours writing journals and reading books, which I always wanted to do and studied English in a comfortable environment. After class, I walked back to my shared house which was within a ten-minute walking distance from LOGODI. Almost every evening I took a walk to a neighboring small park or LOGODI campus. Sometimes I went to downtown to have dinner at a popular local restaurant or watch movies with my classmates. During my stay in LOGODI, I even had chances to visit nearby tourist attractions thanks to my classmates. Among them, the most memorable place was Solsum island on the Buan Beach, which is well known for its beauty at sunset. I still vividly remember being moved by the grandeur sunset and mesmerizing sound of waves. Such moments felt very special especially because with my classmates who shared joy and hardships together. Although our ages were different, ranging from 30s to 50s, we maintained a good relationship based on respect and care for each other. I was extremely lucky to befriended with such good people.

The program and life at LOGODI were satisfactory. One of the best parts of the program was that I was given opportunities to learn about various countries and regions of the world, which had not attracted my attention until then. Africa, Southeast Asia, the Middle East, and India were relatively unfamiliar places to me. Even though the time set aside to learn about these countries was not that long, I remember impressions and characteristics of each country and feel like my world view has been broadened. As per the intention of the program, I now feel closer to those countries. The leadership course included an overseas training course for 4 weeks, which was very exciting for all of us. Visiting foreign countries as part of the program would deepen our understanding of foreign countries and help improve our English skills. Unfortunately, the overseas training course was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

During the final stage of the program, I was busy and under a lot of stress. We had to present a group task and submit an individual policy research assignment almost at the same time. Both of them were challenging tasks. For the group task, we had to select one of the areas of international affairs that we had intensively learned in the first half of the year and make a case study presentation. On the other hand, for the individual policy research assignment, we needed to submit a report of self-directed research about topics of personal interests. Among international exchanges and cooperation, international trade and negotiation, and MICE, my choice of topic was mice for the group task. My group conducted a case study on the ‘2022 Goesan Organic Expo’. Through the group task, we were able to review the theory we had learned and apply it to actual cases. Despite huge pressure, we managed to complete all the tasks successfully. For my individual policy research, I wrote about museums and galleries that interested me.

I was promoted to the rank of deputy director and became a team leader two years ago. Since then, I have lived a life with many stresses going through such different roles with heavy responsibilities as a team leader, unlike working-level officials. Sometimes I felt exhausted from the heavy workload and doubted whether I was conducting my role well as a mid-level manager. This experience became my motivation to apply for this program, besides my aspiration to improve my English proficiency. During last ten months, I was able to reflect on myself and gain new energy studying English, learning new knowledge, and mixing with good people. Going back to work could mean having a stressful life again, but my attitude towards such stress is not the same anymore. I feel my capability to work and lead a team has become enhanced. My mindset has become more positive after learning new things and having new experiences, thanks to this Global Leaders Program. I wish all of you can enjoy these great opportunities that I had. I wish you good health, happiness!