My name is Isaac Swenson, and I am a current graduate student at Yonsei University GSIS majoring in the Program in International Cooperation with a focus on international security and foreign policy. I am grateful to have had the opportunity to intern at EAI and gain an understanding of the efforts that go into operating a leading think tank. Despite the challenge of Covid, my experience has been fulfilling and worthwhile.

Throughout my time at EAI, I have been able to work on a variety of projects. Day-to-day tasks included finding articles and creating editor’s notes for issue briefings, working on a style/formatting guide for EAI publications, and creating content for EAI’s Instagram and Facebook pages. I worked in particular on the Asia Democracy Research Network (ADRN) project. I also was able to work on two papers: a personal research project about the US boycott of the Beijing Olympics and the limits of its impact, and a paper for ADRN written with my mentor, Ms. Baek, titled “Democratic Innovations Outside of the West, Case Study South Korea,” which examines three exciting innovations that South Korea has utilized to improve public participation in policy-making.

Through this internship, I gained knowledge relevant to my field and studies (including a deeper understanding of East Asian relations and the democratic process), improved as a writer and researcher, and experienced office culture in Korea. I am thankful for the support of the staff during my time at EAI, in particular my mentor, Ms. Jinkyung Baek, our internship manager, Ms. Juhyun Jun, and my fellow interns, whom I enjoyed collaborating with throughout our eight weeks. I believe my experiences and lessons from this internship will be beneficial moving forward in my career. Thank you EAI!