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| Gareth Weir, Deputy Head of Mission at the British Embassy to Korea, answers a student's question during the Youth Ambassador Academy event at the Gyeonggi Provincial Museum in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province, Saturday. Courtesy of Korean Culture Association |
By Kwon Mee-yoo
A group of students brimming with curiosity took turns approaching the stage to ask questions to foreign envoys in Korea, namely European Union Ambassador Maria Castillo-Fernandez and Deputy Head of Mission at the British Embassy Gareth Weir, during the Youth Ambassador Academy event at the Gyeonggi Provincial Museum in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province, Saturday.
Hosted by the Korean Culture Association, the camp aims to offer an educational experience to younger generations, helping the students prepare for careers in the global era.
As the event returned, in response to inquiries from students and after being on a hiatus for years due to the pandemic, participants were enthusiastic about the opportunity to engage in face-to-face dialogue with the envoys and ask an array of questions ranging from how to accomplish their childhood dreams to how to overcome the difficulties of becoming and working as a diplomat.
First up was Weir, who gave a brief presentation on the U.K., which celebrates 140 years of diplomatic ties with Korea, dating back to the Joseon era this year. He discussed various subjects from King Charles and Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to British people's love for tea and sports and the roles of a diplomat.
After the presentation, Weir had a Q&A session with students.
When a student asked him how to find balance in her life while developing herself to become a global leader, Weir told her to find her passion while studying hard.
"For me it was sports. I'm passionate about swimming and hockey. So finding things that go alongside school that you also enjoy (and) that allow you to meet people and do things that are not necessarily academic are really important. So trying to have a balanced life is, I think, something that's really important," Weir said.
He also advised the students to study a variety of subjects instead of choosing a career path early and just following it.
"What I like about the U.K. is that you can study anything that you like and you can still get a variety of jobs. For example, I started in business and I studied philosophy, or arts. So you can study anything and then choose your career afterwards. It doesn't mean you have to think about your career when you're choosing your subjects. You can choose things that you're interested in and that really make you want to study them," Weir said.
Weir told the students they need to be interested in the world they live in and curious in order to become a good diplomat.
Ambassador Castillo-Fernandez introduced the 27 EU member states and discussed the establishment of the EU as well as its relations with Korea dating back 60 years. The ambassador also highlighted several major areas in which Korea and the EU collaborate, including trade, climate action and the Indo-Pacific strategy.
Born in Spain, Castillo-Fernandez said she was always interested in international issues since her childhood.
"I was always very interested in international things. So when I opened the newspaper I only saw the international (section), I didn't read the domestic part," she recalled.
She pursued a degree in law in Madrid before expanding her academic pursuits by studying European Studies in Belgium and France. She said the decision to go to study in Belgium changed her life.
"Don't be afraid. It will give you the opportunity to have a wider vision of life, which is so important," the ambassador said.
She also mentioned how popular Korea is now globally.
"There is an enormous interest in Korea in all activities. I've never seen this ... We have a lot of delegations coming to Korea now that COVID is gone because they want to visit Korea," she said, adding that Korea has to make the best use of its popularity.
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