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The Salzburg Global Seminar – Korea Foundation Fellowship connects Korean leaders with a diverse, innovative, and global network of Fellows
Salzburg Global Seminar asked Emilia Heo, a Fellow taking part in the first year of the program, about her experience.
"My name is Emilia Heo, I am currently an associate professor of International Relations and Peace Studies at Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University in Japan. My research interest is framed around actors committed to reconciliation between enemy states. I found this program to be a great chance to explore other Korean scholars in similar fields, raise my international exposure and work together since sometimes there are sections that you can't work on alone with but work with others to have things out of it."
Through the Fellowship, Emilia has been involved in multiple programs offered by Salzburg Global Seminar.
"There is one section: the Asia Peace Innovator Forum. The other one is Contested Histories in Public Places. It's not like I am focused on one program, but I am actually creating a new field with scholars there and with my Fellows."
Each Fellow produces a capstone project that builds on the learnings of their Fellowship and contributes to the impact in their respective areas.
"The capstone project is called 'Through the Eyes of Others.' At my current institution, we have students from more than 30 nationalities in one classroom. And here, everyone is exposed to what we call a 'competing national narrative.' So what brought us glory might have brought them pain. I found it very difficult to teach international relations when you have these students all together sitting in one classroom. My capstone project aims at developing several pedagogical methods to help students not to ignore or to fight, but to learn how to listen and to talk to each other for a better cause later on. That’s the main project I have in my mind."
Salzburg Global Seminar: What does being Korean mean to you in this global age?
"Today, Korea has become a great power I would say in its soft power field. This year you have seen Korea everywhere and people now listen to us, and they respect what we say. I think it's the perfect time to speak up and also to look at other parts of the world that have been suffering, that do not have enough resources. Korea has both sides. They know what it means to be vulnerable, but they also have the power to step up and speak and give their hands to others."
Who would you recommend the Korea Foundation Fellowship to?
"I recommend the program to people like me, people who have made the effort to reach a certain level in their own field but had to compromise with reality or remained satisfied within their comfort zone in the post-pandemic era. This program offered me an opportunity to meet people working with passion in various fields and to regain energy to get back up. Being together, I felt on fire again, impossible to feel when left alone. I thus recommend this program for people who know what they hold but have yet to make a breakthrough. It will offer you the wings to soar in your field. Meeting diverse Fellows through the program will create a synergy effect that will make you rediscover the passion that you once had.
Once you are a Salzburg Global Seminar Fellow, you stay there forever. I am very much happy to dig into this human relationship with people sharing a similar passion and to create this network globally."
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