Life on the Luce

Life on the Luce by Elena Castellanos While on the Luce, I found the most valuable lessons about human behavior in the built environment occurred through the act of noticing. As an aspiring urban planner and researcher, my professor at the University of Seoul (UOS)’s Community and Urban Design Lab advised me that the only way to gather a rigorous understanding of the relationship between public life and the material development of a city was to experience it for myself. His advice not only re-framed my understanding of my work but also as a city dweller and traveler. Given the nature of living abroad during the COVID-19 pandemic, my Luce year became neatly cut into three ninety-day increments. During these times of transition, I retreated to Thailand and Singapore, where I reflected on not only my progress in South Korea but also the social, cultural, and political differences between my placement country and others in the region. In my travels within and outside of S..

Elena Castellanos

July 22, 2022

Permutations: A Self-Exploration of Creativity’s Various Forms

Permutations: A Self-Exploration of Creativity’s Various Forms By Maya Foster I’m blessed to be here in South Korea. As I write this reflection, it has been a little over a year since the historic pandemic that forced humanity into an actionable change and to modify the way in which we regard our health on a global scale. It exposed the ugly sides of our infrastructures, but also highlighted the natural human spirit to persevere and overcome. As my Luce Year comes to a close, I find myself often reflecting back to the first flickers of my burgeoning admiration and appreciation for South Korea. It had been a dream of my sister and mine ever since middle school to visit the country. In school, we were exposed to a variety of cultures within the Asian diaspora -- notably, Korean dramas. Addictive by nature, especially for me at that age, I committed to the one-hour episodes, marveling at the tasty looking food, language, and culture. ..

Maya Foster

June 16, 2021

My year in Seoul: Finding a balance

My year in Seoul: Finding a balance By Sophie Barterian As a Henry Luce Scholar, it was by design that I had no background in Korea when I arrived in the summer of 2019. I had spent the week before I left attending lectures and informational sessions to learn about the cultural, historical, and political history of Korea, but there is no comparison to learning by experience. My work placement in Seoul presented me with a unique opportunity to explore the culture and understand the working mindset -- I spent close to nine months studying and researching creativity as a concept, in relation to AI (Artificial Intelligence), and with respect to Koreans living in Seoul. I expected to struggle with work-life balance. I find myself very committed to my work, and work ethic in Seoul was infamously described to me before my arrival. What surprised me, however, was the distinct difference in balance than I was used to. All through college, I struggled to not ..

Sophie Barterian

December 21, 2020

South Korea in the Globe: The global repositioning of South Korea

The Asia Foundation: South Korea in the Globe The global repositioning of South Korea By Jay Yoon The first week at The Asia Foundation opened my eyes up to the dynamic changes that South Korea has gone through in the history of The Asia Foundation's Korea Office, which began in 1954. Beginning as a poverty-stricken country post the Korean War, South Korea has grown to become one of the world's recognized economic powerhouses in a relatively short period of time. The Asia Foundation was at the center of such growth, serving as an American NGO that invested in sustainable changes that would leave important remarks on the infrastructure of the nation. The foundation contributed to projects involving the development of the country's education, research, regional empowerment, governance, healthcare, and many more. The result of such development effort was the inauguration of South Korea from a recipient of funds from foreign sources to a provider. It is now considered wealt..

Jay Yoon

December 04, 2020