1. What does the Office of International Services do?
“There are two big services that we offer. The first one is an outbound program. It means we send KU students abroad. The other is an inbound program. It means that we bring foreign students to KU.”
2. What is the outbound program?
“It is the program through which we send KU students abroad. It consists of short-term language, culture training, and exchange students. The former one is a program conducted by KU’s sister universities. Students can build confidence in their speaking abilities and broaden their sight of the world by experiencing local languages and cultures for a month. You can check information on recruitment schedules on the table below.
The exchange student program allows students to study at sister universities abroad for one year. They can grow into global talents as well as get a job after graduation through opportunities to acquire the language and culture of each country.”
3. What is the inbound program?
“It is the program through which we bring foreign students to Korea. There is a wide range of programs that KU runs. One of the main programs is the Korean Language Institutes. It helps foreign students to achieve their TOPIK(Test of Proficiency in Korean) certificate goals and get ready for entering KU. Another program is the Global Buddy program. It is a program that helps foreign students adapt to Korean life by matching Korean students one by one. They can study Korean and experience the local life in Korea. In addition, there is a program called Global Hanma. It is an intensive three-week Korean language and Korean culture training program that invites students from sister universities every August.”
4. Is there any program which the Office of International Services is planning for?
“We found that there are a lot of foreign students who have trouble in understanding their majors. The main reason why they cannot understand their majors is difficult terminology. For them, we are planning to make terminology manuals on their major. Moreover, there is a plan which provides information service education for international students so that they can get the jobs they want after graduation.”
5. Why did you change the name of the department?
“We recently changed the name of the department from the Office of External Affairs to the Office of International Services. The reason we changed the name is to specialize in study abroad programs. When the name was the Office of External Affairs, we were in charge of signing MOUs with universities, industry-academic institutions, and external institutions in Korea as well as overseas exchange work. As the number of international students has been consistently increasing, we will expand the international student service center to minimize any inconvenience. In addition, we will encourage them to participate in KU’s programs to feel they are one of our KU members.”
6. How does the Office of International Services take an action to deal with COVID-19?
“First of all, we set up a team with four employees to address the virus issue. When it comes to the students who entered in the first semester, we isolated them in the dormitory from February 22nd to March 13th. With financial support from Gyeongsangnam-do and Changwon-si, we operated pick-up vehicles, and we provided students with some necessary items, such as masks, lunch boxes, and thermometers. In addition, we canceled and suspended all of the programs in 2020 for all students’ safety. We sent a correspondence to our sister universities to make them use caution concerning the virus. After collecting information on those who are scheduled to return to school, we are preparing for isolation management and online lectures for the second semester. Plus, we are now recruiting Filipino online trainees to help students learn English efficiently.”
