Round Talk

Some of the biggest problems that have arisen all over the world in recent years are closely linked to leaders. Last December, President Park was suspended from her duties because the motion for her impeachment was approved. Also, President Trump of the United States and President Duterte of the Philippines were elected, after which there have been many controversial changes in their respective countries.

Today, when leaders such as politicians appear in the media all the time, we can feel how much their decisions and actions affect our lives. The importance of leaders in this perplexing current situation seems far greater than ever.

This month, The Argus met with Chun Ji-young, the manager of AIESEC HUFS, an organization focused on solving social problems and nurturing good leaders. Let us hear about how they settle social problems and foster outstanding leaders.


The Argus: Hello, please introduce AIESEC HUFS.
Chun (Dept. of English Education ‘16): Hello, AIESEC is the world’s largest student organization with 2,400 universities participating in 126 countries around the world. As a non-profit organization with the largest global network, AIESEC consists of students who are interested in global issues, leadership and management.

It runs a variety of programs, such as global community development, internship, and international exchange programs. Also, students have the chance to participate in an international forum and assume the position of a leader within their groups. Through these opportunities, AIESEC members are able to accumulate valuable social experiences that help them to become future leaders who can have a positive impact on society.


The Argus: What kinds of activities does AIESEC usually do?
Chun: The goal of AIESEC is always to further the realization of world peace and human potential, and we pursue the right people who have talents that can be positively developed and who can ‘Learn by Doing,’ which is our slogan. We are making plans for a program for students who come to Korea from overseas. We also conduct activities to match Korean students with foreign companies abroad through the internship department of the country that matches their major and disposition. To this end, all departments and members cooperate to create programs for a year and work towards realizing how much people can contribute to achieving world peace and maximizing human potential.

At an international conference hosted by AIESEC every year, we create business plans and conduct leadership training through the practice of getting sponsors. We learn how to create business proposals and use them within a limited period of time to persuade companies to offer internships and sponsor our activities. Last summer, in conjunction with other universities, we held a conference on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), achieving healthy and quality lives and making clean energy available.

Students who participated discussed policies on how they could achieve SDGs.
In addition to conferences, we are interested in social issues and creating contests or various forms of programs that encourage people to recognize social issues. Last year, we held an animal care campaign with foreign students and provided a kindergarten education service on the subject.


The Argus: AIESEC has many branches all over the world. What are the special characteristics of AIESEC HUFS?
Chun: The biggest attraction of AIESEC HUFS is that there are a lot of departments of minority languages at HUFS. In the OGX (OutGoing eXchange) project, where members of AIESEC’s exchange programs travel abroad, companies particularly prefer people who have foreign language skills. As HUFS is specialized in foreign languages, there are various language departments at HUFS. So there are many applications for exchanges with foreign countries and many internship opportunities in those countries. I think it is not usually an easy opportunity to find this kind of merit. However, AIESEC HUFS shows the best aspects of AIESEC by offering customized opportunities.

In addition, since the first branch in Korea was at HUFS, many of our AIESEC alumni have had a positive influence on society.


The Argus: What was your most memorable activity and why?
Chun: Personally, my most memorable activity was with ‘CHANCE,’ an animal protection project I worked on last summer. During my planning and operation of the program, I needed a lecturer who could tell students about the actual situation of animal protection. After searching and contacting several other different organizations, I invited a member of ‘CARE’ (Coexistence of Animal Rights on Earth), an animal care organization, to assist me.

When I first created the proposal and needed to make phone calls by myself, I wondered, “How am I going to do this?” These types of activities seemed like something adults did. However, I was so proud that I was conducting my own initiative, and it made me realize that I was able to successfully accomplish what I was frightened of simply by getting to know the areas of expertise that I had never encountered before.

Plus, there was a winter national event not long ago. I was taught about leadership by meeting all of the students from AISEC nationwide. I was able to interact with many college students and learned about leadership in detail.


The Argus: Please tell us what you can receive when you enter AIESEC.
Chun: When you come to AIESEC, you will have the opportunity to serve as interns who can experience working in various businesses in different countries. In addition, there are many opportunities to participate in international conferences to develop global capabilities and to demonstrate member potential and leadership.

Furthermore, there are many international students who have the same interests as Korean members. We have the opportunity to meet people with diverse backgrounds and values so we can interact with the cultures of other countries and reflect on ourselves at the same time.


The Argus: What is particularly difficult being the leader of AIESEC HUFS?
Chun: Contact action and priority management. As a representative of AIESEC HUFS, I have to contact many people to set up internships. The process of doing this is much harder than I originally thought. I am constantly worried about which place is appropriate and beneficial, so we continue to find information and contact firms. In addition, I am very busy with the branch manager position. Although I have a lot of things to do and want to learn, I have a hard time choosing a job because I understand the opportunity costs associated with this decision.


The Argus: What are the plans for future activities?
Chun: This term’s biggest plan is to help as many HUFS students as possible to participate in overseas internships and service programs. We are planning to sign an agreement with the Department of Western Languages at the beginning of this semester. In western countries like Spain and Mexico in particular, there are lots of internship proposals that I would like to promote and encourage students to participate in.

For the second half of the year, I plan to create a partnership with EF (Education First, a world-wide language school), which has an agreement with HUFS. There are many cases in which the HUFS students who went abroad through OGX or Global Volunteer (GT) activities want to do such activities again. Looking at this, I want to improve the performance from the level it was at last year.

But in the end, AIESEC’s biggest goal and plan is to achieve significant growth in the InComing eXchange (ICX) and OGX programs. The ICX program connects foreign students to domestic companies. In this regard, AIESEC HUFS is in the process of contracting with Busan Paradise Hotel. Personally, I want this contract to be wrapped up successfully.


Our generation can see problems not only in Korea, but also in other countries these days. Therefore, being responsive and willing to solve problems has great significance for a leader. Experiencing examples in which AIESEC can specifically practice allows our members to focus more attention on social problems and various ways to solve them. It motivates members to be leaders who can help build a more positive world.

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