10 Koreans Complete 5-Day Internship at the Capitol

Before coming here, the only thing Korean student Junyeong Lee can think of every time Cebu becomes the subject of pep talks in gatherings back home is that it is a place laced with pristine beaches.

But when he set afoot in Cebu for the first time as an intern of Capitol, a new view has been shaping up in his mind: the importance of government services and its efforts in uplifting the lives of the poor.

“Back home I could only think of tourist attractions like beautiful beaches. When I came here and visited the countryside, I still saw some quarters that were in poverty and needed help,” Lee said.

Lee, an intern of the Provincial Social Welfare and Development Office (PSWDO), was one of the 10 Korean students from Pokyong National University of Busan, South Korea who spent a five-day internship at the Capitol from Aug. 27 to 31.

With his trip to the towns, along with PSWDO personnel, Lee admitted it enabled him to understand and appreciate the vital role of social welfare offices like PSWDO in addressing poverty.

“I don’t have plans yet when I return home. But my experience here taught me that in some places in Korea, there are still people who needed assistance. I want to help them,” he said.

For 23-year-old Nahyeon Kang, she would never forget the warm treatment she always got from her officemates.

“Every now and then, my officemates asked me if I’m okay or if I liked the food I ate. If not, they gave me food,” said Kang, an intern of the Cebu Provincial Investment and Promotions Office (CPIPO).

“In Korea, no one would do that to you,” she said.

The 10 Korean students, who were all taking up International Area Studies, were assigned to various offices of the Cebu Provincial Government.

The other eight foreign interns were Nakyung Lim (Provincial Employment Service Office), Minjeong Kim (Office of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan), Suhyeon Kim (Provincial Tourism Office), Jimin Ha (Provincial General Services Office), Soyoung Choi (CPIPO), Eunsoo Jang (Provincial Youth Commission), Ye Eun Sun (PSWDO) and Da Eun Kang (Provincial Veterinary Office).

“I hope that you would share what you’ve learned here in the Provincial Government to other students when you return home,” said Marilou Comendador of the Public Administrator’s Office.

The internship was part of the Human Resource and Management Office’s program to foster cooperation with foreign schools and to share the best practices in various areas of government services. (CEBU PROVINCIAL GOV’T PR)