KOREA FOUNDATION

Letters from AKF 

Looking back at the activities of the 4th AKF group in a contactless era
 

By Je Mirae, Member of the “4 Potential for 10” Team (4th AKF) 


The closing ceremony marked the end of the 4th edition of the ASEAN-Korea Futurist (AKF) program and its activities. I couldn’t believe that my time as a member of the 4th AKF program, which I applied for because of my interest in ASEAN countries, was actually over. I started with a vague interest in ASEAN cultures but soon felt a deeper satisfaction from communicating with my teammates and learning from them while discussing our shared interests. 

   Although there was not much we could do together in person because of COVID-19, the “missions” we carried out, which were modified for the COVID-19 era, were nevertheless fun in unexpected ways. The “ASEAN Cooking Challenge,” for which we made videos of cooking an ASEAN dish, and the YouTube challenge, “My Little ASEAN,” were especially interesting and creatively planned. I learned how to make ASEAN dishes that I would not have been able to do on my own. I also had fun posting a video of my cooking experience on YouTube and interacting with people who had seen it online. The “My Little ASEAN” challenge allowed my team to share our fun experiences (about Thailand and Indonesia) with YouTube viewers. 

   I’m very happy to have met the members of my “4 Potential for 10” team. I will fondly remember the times we spent on KakaoTalk, Voicetalk and various video conferencing apps discussing how to improve our content. I would like to take this opportunity to thank all my teammates. I am also grateful to the ASEAN Culture House for being so supportive of the 4th AKF participants despite all of the uncertainties and difficulties posed by COVID-19! I wish all participants the very best for the 5th edition of the AKF, which will be starting soon this year!