On Friday, February 21st, the completion ceremony for the 20th cohort of research interns who had been active at the Seoul National University Asia Center during the second half of the 2024 academic year (September 2024 – February 2025) was held. The event was presided over by Dr. Eunyeong Nam, Research Fellow in the Human Resources Development Department, and featured a congratulatory speech by Professor Juyong Park, Director of the department. A total of 14 research interns attended the ceremony, where they received their completion certificates and shared brief reflections on their experiences.

Among the research fellows, five individuals were recognized with the Outstanding Research Fellowship Award, including Hayoung Yoo (Ewha Womans University, 20th cohort president), Jaehee Kim (SNU), Kyuyeon Nam (HUFS), Junyoung Park (Sungkyunkwan University), and Minhwa Jung (SNU).

For the Best Research Report Award, the Grand Prize was awarded to:

• Jaehee Kim (SNU) for the report “A Comparative Analysis of the Spatial Distribution of Heatwave Vulnerability in Vietnam (2022–2023)”

• Sihoon Yoo (SNU) for the report “The Paradox of the Non-Hindu Categorized as Religious Yet Not Hindu: Centering on Savarkar’s Concept of the ‘Sacred Land’”

The Excellence Awards were presented to:

• Sehwan Kim (SNU), Kyuyeon Nam (HUFS), Junyoung Park (Sungkyunkwan University), Yejin Park (HUFS), Jiwoo Lee (SNU), Yoojin Jung (HUFS), and Hayoung Yoo (Ewha Womans University).

The Encouragement Awards were given to:

• Junyong Yang (SNU), Minhwa Jung (SNU), Seunghoon Chae (HUFS), and Chaeyoung Hong (Ajou University).

[20th Cohort of SNUAC Research Interns]

• Sehwan Kim (Seoul National University, Department of Geography Education)

• Jaehee Kim (Seoul National University, Joint Major in Global Environmental Management)

• Kyuyeon Nam (Hankuk University of Foreign Studies, Department of Arabic)

• Yejin Park (Hankuk University of Foreign Studies, Department of Arabic)

• Junyoung Park (Sungkyunkwan University, Department of Chinese Classics Education, International Trade)

• Junyong Yang (Seoul National University, Graduate School of International Studies)

• Sihoon Yoo (Seoul National University, Department of Religious Studies)

• Hayoung Yoo (Ewha Womans University, Graduate School, Department of Sociology)

• Hyungjun Yoon (Sogang University, Department of History / Department of Korean Language and Literature)

• Jiwoo Lee (Seoul National University, Department of Russian Language and Literature, Business Administration)

• Minhwa Jung (Seoul National University, Graduate School of International Studies, International Cooperation)

• Yoojin Jung (Hankuk University of Foreign Studies, Department of Mongolian Studies)

• Seunghoon Chae (Hankuk University of Foreign Studies, Major in Central Asia and BRICS [Economics])

• Chaeyoung Hong (Ajou University, Political Science and Diplomacy, Chinese Regional Studies)

[SNUAC Research Internship Program]

The research internship program is operated by SNUAC to foster future experts in Asian studies. The research interns are undergraduate and graduate students with diverse majors and nationalities, who share the common interest of “Asia.” During the internship, the interns will participate in various seminars and assist in different programs and departments of SNUAC. While participating in the education and training programs, the interns will build a sound network by hosting social events and going on field studies to historical sites related to Asian studies. This program offers various benefits such as a monthly activity allowance, awards for outstanding interns, support for field trips for strengthening research capacities, and a certificate of completion. The duration of the program is six months per cohort, and new research interns are selected before each new semester begins.