Semester Closing Gathering

As the cherry blossoms faded away, students were anxious to finish up their works for the first semester. After 12 intensive weeks of studying, the Spring Semester Closing gathering was just what they needed. It was held to celebrate the end of Spring semester and announce the beginning of the spring break .On the 1^st of May, faculty, staff and students gathered on the Chungi lounge on the 7^th floor to enjoy ice cream and beer, and have a friendly chat.

Korean Folk Village

Korean Folk Village is a place to visit to understand Korea’s traditional customs and culture.  During spring break, the KDI School organizes a day trip to the Village as a cultural event for its international students. The visitors to the Village can see a wide range of traditional housings that show various architectural styles typical to their original regions, clothes, traditional markets, pottery-making processes, folk dance and music performances and a fascinating traditional wedding ceremony. For lunch, the visitors are served with bibimbap, a famous and popular Korean dish. The Village provides an incredible opportunity to see and experience the traditional Korean way of living first- hand. For international students as well as for anyone who is interested in Korean traditions, it is a must-see place.

Incheon Bridge

On the 14^th of May, international students went on a one-day trip to the Incheon Bridge. They firstly visited the Korean Expressway Corporation (KEC) to learn about road development technology. KEC is Korea’s leading research institute specializing in road development.  Currently, KEC and the Ministry of Land, Transport and Maritime Affairs are managing construction of the Incheon Bridge. The students took a boat to the construction site and walked on the bridge which is planned to be 18.2 kilometers long. They were very impressed with and astonished by Korea’s advanced technology in road development. “It is unbelievable. I have not seen such an incredibly beautiful cross- sea bridge like this ever. It is so big and long, yet I found only few workers working on it. The water surrounding the area is surprisingly clean and blue”, said Nguyen Thi Minh Hang, 2008 MBA. The Incheon Bridge is due to be open to the public in 2009 and will be the second connecting bridge between the Yeongjong Island and Incheon. Its construction is expected to cost over $2.5 billion.

By Nguyen Thi Mai Phuong (MPP 2008, Vietnam)