▲ Korea's longest residing expatriate and park founder, Fred Dustin. Photo courtesy Joey Rossitano

The sixth annual Korea-America Student Conference made a pit-stop at the Gimnyeong Maze Park last Thursday. The visit included a stroll through the maze, a short talk by Korea's longest residing expatriate and founder of the park, Fred Dustin, and a presentation on Jeju's shamanistic culture given by Joey Rositano.

The group whose mission is cultural and academic exchange between Korea and the United States consists of an equal number of students from each country. This year the group visited four regions in country including Jeju Island. Last week the conference members' investigations included, besides the Gimyoung Maze Park, a trip to the Gimnyoeng Smart Grid and a presentation on Jeju's goddesses by Jeju resident Jenie Hahn.

The KASC is a highly competitive group with only 25 students from each country admitted to the program. The group focuses on the popular issues affecting the country in which they are traveling that particular year. The conference alternates years between the U.S. and Korea. The 50 students are broken up into some 4 or 5 teams each of which are responsible for producing a synthesis of their research and experience at the end of the conference.

▲ Photo courtesy Joey Rossitano

This year two students from Jeju National University, Hye Hee Kang and Hyo Seung Woo, were admitted to the program. Dustin was pleased to host such a bright group of young people and was equally overjoyed to hear that the conference included locals amongst their number.

Korean students are paired with American students as roommates to encourage cross-cultural interaction. Each team's research starts when the students are in their home country. This way collaboration between Korean and American students is enacted from the earliest stages of the conference.

Marteka Fair, one of the program's student directors, said of the Gimnyeong trip, "This year the KASC delegation went to Jeju Island not only to enjoy its natural beauty but to learn about its unique place in South Korea's history and culture. When planning the Jeju site, we thought that the Gimnyeong Maze Park showed a side of Jeju that most foreigners do not get to see and we hoped that it would spark more questions among our students."

A platform for cross-cultural communication, team building and strategic problem solving is the essece of KASC.

The groups website states: "These experiences provide a foundation for cultural sensitivity and global awareness and a forum for the open exchange of ideas. More importantly, the intense experience of living and working together encourages mutual appreciation among delegates, promoting lasting friendship that will further strengthen ties between the U.S. and Korea."