U.S. diplomats, Korean undergrads schmooze at American Diplomacy House Academy launch

U.S. diplomat Joy Sakurai emphasized the importance of engaging with Korean youth at the launch of the American Diplomacy House Academy.

U.S. diplomats and other student participants in the American Diplomacy House Academy pose for a photograph at the kick-off ceremony in central Seoul on Friday. [U.S. EMBASSY IN SEOUL]

A U.S. diplomat stressed that engaging with Korean young people is a “very worthwhile investment” in an interview on the sidelines of an event celebrating the launch of the third cohort of the American Diplomacy House Academy, where 100 undergraduates teamed up with U.S. diplomats to brainstorm solutions to global challenges.

Joy Sakurai, deputy chief of mission at the U.S. Embassy in Seoul, told the Korea JoongAng Daily that engaging with Korean young people is a “very worthwhile investment to make sure an alliance between two countries remains strong in generations to come.”

Sakurai said she hopes the partnership between Seoul and Washington will remain robust regardless of the upcoming presidential election results, citing “strong bipartisan support for Korea in the U.S. Congress.”

Meanwhile, Friday’s event — which took place at noon at the Yongsan Family Park, a former U.S. military base, in central Seoul — emphasized the Korea-U.S. relationship as one of “allies, partners, and friends.”

Through speeches, contests, songs and networking activities, the event showcased Washington's continuing effort to engage with Korea's young population, backed the two countries' "inescapable bond."

Guiding principles

Joy Sakurai, deputy chief of mission at the U.S. Embassy in Seoul, gives opening remarks at a kick-off ceremony for American Diplomacy House Academy at the Yongsan Family Park in central Seoul on Friday. [U.S. EMBASSY IN SEOUL]

Sakurai pictures a future in which American Diplomacy House Academy alumni become diplomats, politicians and professors lending their voices and expertise to the two countries’ cooperative efforts to solve global problems such as climate change and geopolitical conflict.

But she also emphasized that the mission's public diplomacy initiatives — which appeared to align with many of Korea's current key policies and national strategies — are pertinent to people of all ages.

Sakurai highlighted that the U.S. Embassy has been working with diverse groups representing Korean entrepreneurs and specialists in science, technology, engineering and mathematics fields, pointing to the recent inauguration of Korea’s first space agency, the Korea AeroSpace Administration

Sakurai said extensive efforts in public diplomacy are meant to “to create peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region.” She added that Korea holds status as “one of the most valued and important allies in the region.”

Participants in the American Diplomacy House Academy listen to opening remarks delivered by Joy Sakurai in a kick-off ceremony on Friday in central Seoul. [LEE SOO-JUNG]

“Our priority in working with Korean [counterparts] is to harness Korea’s global power, including its profound technological and human resources — which make Korea a powerful country.”

Seven senators — five Republicans and two Democrats — visited Korea earlier this month and had dialogues with Korean government officials and businesspeople.

Sakurai said the envoy “amplified how much Korea matters to the United States.”

She also underscored the importance of trilateral cooperation between Seoul, Tokyo and Washington, noting that the three countries “have so much in common.”

She urged the three nations to “work together in fields of space, green technologies, climate change and regional security” to accomplish greater goals in the Indo-Pacific, stressing the young generation’s contributions.

Launch

A diplomat from the U.S. Embassy in Seoul and members of the third cohort of the American Diplomacy House Academy talk during a kick-off ceremony in Yongsan District, central Seoul, on Friday. [LEE SOO-JUNG]

The path to becoming a student diplomacy whiz, however, is not necessarily an easy one.

The American Diplomacy House Academy, which recently entered its third year, is a 10-month educational program wherein students interact with the embassy’s foreign service officers and participate in diplomatic events.

The embassy received more than 500 applications this year, selecting 100 after screenings and interviews.

Only 10 percent of those selected come from universities outside the greater Seoul area, though the embassy does offer virtual education on U.S. diplomacy and policies for students who live far from the city.

Friday’s “kickoff ceremony” was convened at the site of the former Black Hawk Village, which housed U.S. soldiers until 2019 and now symbolizes the Korea — U.S. alliance.

“It is the flagship event of the year,” Joshua Lustig, a public diplomacy officer at the U.S. Embassy in Seoul, told the JoongAng Daily.

The 100 students were split in to 10 teams, each of which will be assigned a foreign service officer as a mentor for the next 10 months.

The process of becoming a mentor, too, was competitive: Sakurai said she turned away some senior officers who expressed interest, feeling that more recent diplomats could give more relatable career advice.

Next leaders

A diplomat from the U.S. Embassy in Seoul and members of the third cohort of the American Diplomacy House Academy present their team names during a kick-off ceremony in Yongsan District, central Seoul, on Friday. [LEE SOO-JUNG]

To ensure a group of 100 students heads in the right direction, the right leaders — who can comprehend the voices of their peers — are crucial. So, the Academy cohort elected a president and a vice president.

Eight presidential candidates and five vice presidential candidates gave bold, catchy and intense speeches. Some sang songs, and some showed dance moves.

Later, each team selected a name. Team Four chose “Fourtune” while Team Five dubbed itself “Five Guys,” after the U.S. burger franchise.

Throughout the program, the students showed off their ambition.

“I hope our team of 100 students can uplift each other so we can have shared goals and collective success upon completion,” said Park Ji-yun, 22, who was elected president of the third cohort.

Hwang Yi-su, an alumna, said she'd “learned that all unique experiences can create a path to becoming a diplomat” during her time at the Academy.

“This year's program will dive deeper than the previous programs by inviting right expert speakers and having more workshops to help participants think of what kind of policies are necessary in reality,” Chealin Won, a public diplomacy officer at the embassy, told the Korea JoongAng Daily.

Won said that her experience interacting with Korean students had been “incredibly insightful,” helping her “understand their thoughts and how they envision the future as next-generation leaders.”

In her opening remarks following the interview, Sakurai invited the students on a journey to develop diplomatic skills to help foster the Korea-U.S. alliance moving forward.

“Think about how you are going to leave your mark in the world,” Sakurai said.

BY LEE SOO-JUNG [lee.soojung1@joongang.co.kr]