The Export-Import Bank of Korea (www.koreaexim.go.kr, Chairman Kim Yong-hwan, “Korea Eximbank”) announced that it is dispatching 22 EDCF* overseas interns selected this year to work in 7 countries including Vietnam.
* Economic Development Cooperation Fund (EDCF): An ODA program established by the Korean government in June 1, 1987 in order to assist the economic development of developing countries and enable Korea to serve the international community in a way that is commensurate to its heightened global status. The Ministry of Strategy and Finance is the managing authority of the Fund while Korea Eximbank is responsible for its day-to-day operations.
The EDCF overseas interns, who held an inauguration ceremony the same day, will gain hands-on working experience at seven overseas offices* of Korea Eximbank, including its Hanoi Office in Vietnam, for approximately four months.
* Vietnam, the Philippines, Indonesia, Tanzania, Cambodia, Sri Lanka and Colombia
The interns will have an opportunity to experience development assistance first-hand by participating in every stage of EDCF projects, from project development to evaluation, and through lively exchanges with local residents.
Also scheduled for the interns are visits to local offices of development-related international organizations such as multilateral development banks and the United Nations.
Ms. Hur Jae-yeon (24, graduate student at Seoul National University), who will be sent to Bogota, Colombia, said, “I am thrilled to take direct part in development work in Latin America an opportunity I have always dreamed of. I will take full advantage of this internship to develop the necessary skills to go on working for an international organization such as a multilateral development bank.”
Korea Eximbank’s EDCF Overseas Internship Program, initiated in 2010, has served as an excellent gateway into careers in international organizations.
For example, Ms. Ha Ji-hae (31) and Ms. Jang Ah-rim (29), who are graduates of the internship program, have respectively been hired early last year by the International Labor Organization (ILO) and the OECD Development Centre.
Accordingly, Korea Eximbank widened the door to young people wanting to gain experience in development cooperation by increasing the number of internship positions from 16 last year to 22 this year.
Prior to being dispatched abroad, the interns received a month of ‘Career Training for Future International Development Professionals’ at the Bank ？ learning how to conduct development aid consulting, about the recruiting process at multilateral development banks, and about advanced degree programs abroad in related fields, among others.
Mr. Shim Seop, Executive Director of the EDCF Planning Group, remarked, “Korea’s financial contribution to international organizations is increasing year after year, but the hiring of Korean staff at those organizations still remains low. I hope more talented young people would participate in the EDCF Internship Program offered by Korea Eximbank, which would give them a head start in pursuing careers in development cooperation.”
Korea Eximbank will cover all expenses incurred during the interns’ stay overseas and give preferential treatment to outstanding interns seeking employment at the Bank, such as exempting them from CV screening.
