Globalization and leadership, becoming a globalized leader. Clearly, these concepts of globalization and becoming a leader have always been hailed as keys toward success, entering the 21st century when active interaction and relations among diverse countries maintain a crucial role. Along the same line, Korea University (KU) has organized a program with the purpose of fostering global leaders and experts of the future, specifically with regards to China. Under the name of KU-China Global Leadership Program, KU aims to provide students with the opportunity to communicate with the Chinese and fully understand the country of China as a whole, rather than to merely exchange languages.

The principal purpose of the KU-China Global Leadership Program is to acquire in-depth and extensive knowledge of China, including its language, social and cultural background, history, and arts,” said Kim Ye Eun (’14, Political Science and International Relations), a student who participated in the program last year. This program, already renowned for its tightly plotted composition, is once again advancing, when it was announced as the primary Veritas Scholarship at KU. 

Three universities in China and Korea, including East China Normal University (ECNU) of Shanghai, Harbin Institute of Technology (HIT) located at Heilongjiang, and KU of South Korea collaborated in organizing this program. To briefly overview the main activities with regards to the KU-China Global Leadership Program, the participants spend four weeks in South Korea for the purpose of acquiring the basics of Chinese, and consequently spend another four weeks in China in order to advance what they have learned so far. 

One of the notable characteristics of this program has to do with the fact that when selecting the participants, the executives provide primary opportunity for those in the elementary level of Chinese, or those unfamiliar with China. “This is because the program is aimed at those students who have a keen interest in China, but have not yet been granted a chance to attain knowledge with regards to this country,” explained Kim. “In fact, the average Chinese proficiency skills of the applicants were by far much higher than that of the actual participants of the program,” she added. 

▲ The in-class lecture in China. Provided by KU Global Leadership Center.

The program which is planned to begin in earnest this summer, comprises four main tracks as follows: the Summer Language Exchange Program, the Winter Language Exchange Program, the Internship Program, and the Advanced Program. Although it is not mandatory to receive the prior programs before applying for the latter one, all the tracks are organized in a step-by- step procedure. “Therefore, it is recommended that students take the basic programs beforehand if they wish to fulfill the latter one,” Kim said.

The start off of the KU-China Global Leadership Program is its Summer Language Exchange Program planned to begin on June 22, followed by the selection of the participants in April and the orientation in May. During the first four weeks, students are required to enroll in two KU Summer School classes, called Chinese for Beginners and Chinese for Intermediates. “Because the courses that the students take are actual Summer School classes, we earn six extra credits by doing so,” said Kim. 

After acquiring at least the basic proficiency of the Chinese language, the participating students are finally headed to experience life at Shanghai, China for four weeks. Here, students are expected to apply their language skills, as well as broaden their perspectives and knowledge of China as a whole. “Chinese language programs offered by the curriculum were, in fact, extremely satisfying and of high quality; even those participants unable to speak Chinese at all had drastically improved their language proficiency afterwards,” Kim said. 

To explain further, the classes constructed for the KUChina Global Leadership Program are divided into five sub groups, based on the students’ language proficiency level. “The lecture encompasses all aspects in terms of enhancing language skills, including listening, reading, speaking, and writing—both in Korea and in China,” Kim explained. “One distinct characteristic between the classes conducted in two countries is that when in China, the students are granted the opportunity to experience the country first-hand, and progress outside the classroom environment,” she added. 

On the other hand, however, there were some curriculums to the program that Kim found disappointing. “During our stay in China, students at KU and at the collaborating Chinese college had been provided with a buddy-matching program. The problem, however, was that the ratio between the Korean students and the local Chinese students was severely uneven; in one class, for instance, there were 15 to 16 Koreans, while there was only one or two Chinese.” Kim added that if the buddy-matching program were utilized to its full extent, it would definitely benefit students in terms of advancing and applying the practical aspects of Chinese language. 

After accomplishing the Summer Language Exchange Program, participants of the KU-China Global Leadership Program are offered the chance to enroll in the Winter Language Exchange Program, though the second track is not mandatory. “In the case of the winter program, the language program conducted at KU is not provided; students are directly headed to HIT,” Kim said. Afterwards, the global leadership program is then sequenced by the third track called Internship Program, followed by the last track called the Advanced Program.

“One of the biggest advantages of the KU-China Global Leadership Program is that the participants are granted the chance to acquire an in-depth, qualified program at a relatively inexpensive price,” said Kim. In fact, KU provides the students with scholarships for tuition, as well as the dormitory costs during their stay in China. The subsidizing fees are expected to increase and expand to a greater extent, judging from the school’s announcement that the program would be a major part of KU’s Veritas Scholarship. To those KU students interested in experiencing a greater aspect within the global society, the KU-China Global Leadership Program would surely be a great advantage.