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25 international students start Seoul internship program

January 3, 2014
Boris Ondo, left, from Gabon, and Evan Trotzuk, from the United States, are working as interns for Rep. Jasmine Lee. (Korea Times)

Boris Ondo, left, from Gabon, and Evan Trotzuk, from the United States, are working as interns for Rep. Jasmine Lee. (Korea Times)

By Bahk Eun-ji

The Seoul Metropolitan Government (SMG) said Friday that a total of 25 foreigners started a seven-week internship program.

The 25 interns, who are studying at universities in the capital city, came from 18 countries including China, Japan, the United States, Bangladesh, Mongolia, Vietnam, Brazil, Switzerland, Yemen and Canada.

For the 13th edition of the biannual program, 317 foreign students applied and the SMG picked 25 of them according to a set of criteria including university recommendations, grades, majors and fluency in necessary languages.

The interns will be placed at various positions in the head office of the SMG and its subsidiaries through Feb. 21.

Included in their main tasks are research on foreign data, support of international events and translation.

Seoul introduced the program in 2008 and so far 364 people from 56 countries have gone through as of last year.

The interns will also do charity work in welfare centers in Seoul and visit various facilities of the city.

“Fresh ideas of students from every corner of the globe will be helpful in the operation of the city,” a Seoul official said. “After going through the internship, they are expected to become kind of non-government diplomats to connect their cities and Seoul.”