Kim Dong-yeon Visits University of Washington, "Gyeonggi Youth Will Come Again This Year. Please Show Interest"

[Suwon Ilbo=Reporter Kim Gab-dong] Gyeonggi Province Governor Kim Dong-yeon, who is visiting North America, met with University of Washington President Ana Mari Cauce to request cooperation for the Gyeonggi Youth Ladder Program. He also expressed gratitude to the University of Washington Korean Student Association, which participated as mentors in last year's Gyeonggi Youth Ladder Program, while having candid conversations on various topics including climate, communication, and social media issues.

Governor Kim visited the University of Washington in Seattle on the morning of the 10th local time and discussed ways to strengthen cooperation between Gyeonggi Province and the university, including youth projects, in the president's office with President Ana Mari Cauce.

Governor Kim stated, "I hope that cooperation between Korea and the United States will be further strengthened not only in education but also in culture, economy, and human exchange." He added, "We are sending Gyeonggi youth again this year. Please take great interest and help them have diverse experiences."

He continued, "The youth who went last year talked a lot about Amazon (headquartered in Seattle) and the excellent natural experiences in Washington State. They also expressed much gratitude for the kindness and guidance of the student mentors."

In response, President Ana Mari Cauce said, "We are making efforts to provide participants with information about various opportunities and tips for safe travel. Learning outside the classroom can sometimes be more valuable than learning inside the lecture hall." She added, "This year, we plan to arrange a tour of the Washington State Capitol in Olympia and, if possible, special lectures by legislators."

The University of Washington participated in last year's Gyeonggi Youth Ladder Program. The "Gyeonggi Youth Ladder Program" is Governor Kim Dong-yeon's flagship youth policy under his eighth term of civil governance, designed to give youth "more equal opportunities." The project provides youth with overseas university training experiences to motivate them in career development while creating opportunities to challenge social mobility. Last year, 200 Gyeonggi youth attended approximately four-week training programs at five universities including the University of Michigan from July to August. The University of Washington also provided training to 39 students. This year, Gyeonggi Province plans to implement the Gyeonggi Youth Ladder Program at a total of nine universities including the University of Washington in the United States and Australia. Thirty youth from the University of Washington will participate in the Gyeonggi Youth Ladder Program from July 8 to 26.

With this visit as an opportunity, the Province decided to jointly examine ways to expand exchanges with the University of Washington in the fields of youth, AI, semiconductors, and clean energy research institutes.

Following the meeting with the university president, Governor Kim held a roundtable discussion with students from the Korean Student Association enrolled at the University of Washington. The meeting was organized to express gratitude to the University of Washington Korean Student Association, which participated in local mentoring for last year's Gyeonggi Youth Ladder Program, with 18 student leaders in attendance.

The roundtable discussion proceeded for about one hour and 20 minutes in a question-and-answer format between the students and Governor Kim. The discussion maintained a serious atmosphere throughout, ranging from light questions such as which Korean professional baseball team he supports to in-depth questions about measures to respond to the climate crisis.

When asked about the reasons for emphasizing communication, noting that his efforts to communicate through social media were impressive, Governor Kim explained, "When pushing forward new policies without sufficient communication with residents and citizens, they almost fail. This is the first reason." He added, "On a personal level, I had many good experiences communicating with students during my time as president of Ajou University. This is the second reason."

Regarding information bias based on political inclination, one of the major problems with social media, he stated, "I am seriously concerned about extreme behaviors and some politicians exploiting them in communication." He continued, "It is important for individuals to maintain balance among the diverse opinions on social media. I think now is the time to make policy efforts that can lead in a good direction."

When asked about solutions to differences in environmental protection policies between countries, he introduced, "Since January of last year, Gyeonggi Province has taken a leading role in responding to the climate crisis domestically, including banning the use of single-use products within the Provincial Government building." He then emphasized, "Issues like COVID-19 and climate change cannot be solved without international cooperation. Beyond that, democracy, human rights, and free trade are issues that everyone must work on together, not just one country," calling for the students' attention.

In response to a request to make efforts to increase political interest and voter turnout among youth, he stressed, "Youth must take interest in many issues that determine the future of the Republic of Korea, raise their voices, and take action."

Seo Hyun-jun, president of the Korean Student Association who organized the meeting, said, "Eight members of our student association participated as mentors in the Gyeonggi Youth Ladder Program last year. I felt a sense of accomplishment when the Gyeonggi youth who participated said it was like a dream. It seems that many youth found new goals through the Gyeonggi Youth Ladder Program. I hope you will continue to promote such programs with various countries and schools in the future."

Lee Jin-hee, the student association's design team leader, shared her impression after the meeting: "I am majoring in media communication, and I learned a lot about communication and found it helpful. Meeting in person, he felt more approachable compared to how he appears through media."