On Friday, July 10th, our university held the "933 Symposium," which looked back on the 33-year history of the international exchange program between Faculty of Commerce and Chungnam National University in South Korea, a partner institution.
The exchange between Faculty of Commerce and Chungnam National University began in 1993, making it the longest-running exchange program among our university's international exchange activities. In 2023, we celebrated the 30th anniversary of the exchange, but the commemorative events were postponed due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. This symposium was held with the aim of looking back on the 33-year history of the exchange, considering the current state of exchange, and thinking about the future of Japan-Korea exchange.
In his opening remarks, Dean Ahn Hee-tak of Faculty of Commerce said, "The greatest achievement of international exchange is the connections between people. For people with different languages and cultures to meet, understand each other, and build friendships is a valuable experience that cannot be obtained in the classroom. I hope this will be an opportunity to reaffirm the value of 33 years of exchange and to consider exchanges for the next era."
An Gi-Don, President of the College of Economics and Business at Chungnam National University, expressed his gratitude to those involved in the development of this exchange, and said, "Both universities have achieved many results in student exchange, research activities, and the development of global talent. I believe that this cooperative relationship, based on friendship and trust, will continue to develop for 50 or even 100 years to come."
Following this, in addition to research presentations by faculty members from both universities, faculty members and other individuals involved in the exchange program took the stage to report on the history of the exchange, academic exchanges, the trusting relationship built between the two universities, and the results that international exchanges have brought to student learning. Students from both universities also gave presentations introducing their universities and conducting research.
Also speaking was Riho Teramoto (graduated from Faculty of Commerce in 2022 / Tamana High School), who moved to South Korea after participating in this exchange program while still a student and now works in the beauty industry as an interpreter and customer service representative. Reflecting on her own experience of overcoming language barriers and communicating through this program, she said that it led to her learning Korean, studying abroad, and her current career. She sent a powerful message to the students, saying, "Detours and adversity are what make up your own story. What's important is not perfect preparation, but taking that first step."
Participants reaffirmed the significance of the exchange between the two universities, which has been cultivated over 33 years, and deepened their understanding of the importance of student exchange and academic collaboration in an increasingly globalized society.
[Faculty of Commerce / Global Promotion Headquarters]
