Speeches and Transcripts 2008
Educating Global Citizens
Alexander Vershbow
U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of Korea
Gyeonggi-do Yulgok Education Training Institute
Anyang Science College - July 29, 2008
Thank you, President Nam Sang-yong, for your kind introduction and the invitation to speak to these distinguished educational leaders from Gyeonggi Province. I believe that school administrators have a very important and difficult job in the Information Age. While so much information is available in print and online, educators still have to teach students how to access, analyze and utilize knowledge. So it is a pleasure to have this opportunity to exchange ideas about educating global citizens with all of you today.
I understand that your training institute was named after Yi Yulgok, the prominent neo-Confucian scholar of the Joseon Dynasty. It is said that Yi Yulgok believed in expanding educational opportunities to ordinary citizens as well as elites and in applying Confucian principles to daily life. That was a rather modern idea in the 16th century and it still resonates today. I think you wisely have chosen Yi Yulgok as your model because we face a number of challenges in the 21st century – threats to peace and security, threats to the environment, and global economic interdependence – that require practical collective solutions.
I would like to use the U.S.-ROK alliance, which has maintained peace and security on the Korean peninsula for over half a century and has been evolving as new challenges confront the region and the world, as an example of a successful partnership that has created shared responses to issues of mutual concern. And I’d like to talk with you about how you, as school administrators and librarians, can prepare your students to be world citizens and to apply what they learn in school to meet the challenges of an increasingly interconnected world.
The U.S.-ROK alliance today is very different from what it was in the days when we signed our Mutual Defense Treaty in 1953, at the end of the Korean War. What began as a bilateral military partnership to defend South Korea’s freedom and to maintain peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula has now evolved into a comprehensive partnership, one that is promoting peace and prosperity around the world. At their meeting in April at Camp David, President Bush and President Lee Myung-bak agreed to build a “Strategic Alliance for the 21st Century.” In fact, Korea and the United States are already working together on a broad range of regional and global issues: helping secure peace and economic recovery in Iraq and Afghanistan; fighting infectious diseases and combating poverty in the Third World; shaping a new international consensus to address global warming; and cooperating to halt the spread of weapons of mass destruction.
The most important example of the latter is our joint efforts – along with China, Japan and Russia – to achieve the denuclearization of North Korea and establish a new framework for peace and security in Northeast Asia. Through the Six-Party Talks, the North has shut down and disabled the Yongbyon nuclear facility and submitted a declaration of its nuclear programs to the other members of the Six Party Talks. In return, the parties have provided heavy fuel oil and the United States has moved to remove North Korea from the effects of the Trading with the Enemy Act and from the State Sponsors of Terrorism List.
We are now working to establish a system to verify the North’s declaration, so that we can move on to the next phase, when we aim to achieve the ultimate goal of the Six Party Talks, the complete abandonment of the North’s nuclear programs and weapons. We have a long way to go to achieve that goal, but we can get there if North Korea makes the right strategic choice. If North Korea abandons all of its nuclear programs, we could see the transformation of its relations with the rest of the world. A peace treaty could be signed to replace the “temporary” Armistice that halted the Korean War, and we could establish normal diplomatic relations with Pyongyang. With full denuclearization, we could lift economic sanctions on North Korea and help it to modernize its economy, thereby bringing the North Korean people out of their isolation and helping them join the progress that has been sweeping across the rest of the Northeast Asia. North-South cooperation could be expanded and the conditions would be more favorable for eventual unification.
The progress we have made in addressing the North Korean nuclear issue is the result of cooperation and dialogue by all Six Parties, who have worked intensively over many years to develop an approach that addresses each party’s concerns. It required the efforts of many people: negotiators who were willing to work with people very different from themselves in language, customs, and political and social values; skilled interpreters who could help the parties speak to and understand each other; and of course participants with patience and the ability to resolve conflict.
These are the same skills required of global citizens, whether they are diplomats, businessmen, entrepreneurs, representatives of non-governmental organizations, or scientists working on environmental issues. Schools can help students develop an understanding of the connections between local and global affairs by including the study of the geography, history, culture and language of neighboring countries in the social studies curriculum.
Beyond the curriculum, educators can encourage students to participate in school-to-school collaborative projects. One such initiative is iEARN, an Internet-based global network that enables students to work collaboratively with students in other countries on projects that improve the quality of life on the planet. A similar program offered by the Global Classroom Project of the United Nations Association of the USA allows students to explore current world issues through interactive simulations and curricular materials. In addition, schools can arrange for study tours to countries whose language and culture they have been studying.
A few weeks ago, I met with some young professionals from different parts of Korea who came to the Embassy to discuss the U.S.-ROK Alliance. An academic told me that he had read a poll that indicated that the younger generation did not know about the Korean War. He asked me what could be done about this situation. I told him that the history of Korea’s early years had to be explained in a way that the younger generation can understand. Students need to know when the war happened, who started it and what the historical background of the war was. I think it is the responsibility to educators to be objective and to give a balanced view of historical issues.
Coming back to the U.S.-ROK Alliance, another area in which the Alliance is evolving is the economic dimension. We are both one of each other’s largest trading partners. Our economic ties could grow even larger when the Korea-U.S. Free Trade Agreement (KORUS FTA), which was signed by our two countries in June 2007, is ratified by both countries’ legislatures and enters into effect. The FTA will remove virtually all barriers to trade and investment between the U.S. and Korea and establish a privileged partnership between our two economies. Economists expect the KORUS FTA will significantly increase trade and investment between our two countries, and lead to economic growth, job creation, and greater competitiveness in both Korea and the United States.
The KORUS FTA, a comprehensive, high standards agreement, was the result of a series of long, hard negotiations between experts from both Korea and the United States. The negotiators had to understand the world economy and the fundamentals of economic competitiveness. They had to use critical thinking skills to analyze data and evaluate each other’s proposals. They had to have a positive attitude and understand the interconnectedness of today’s world. They had to work to achieve an agreement that was beneficial not only to their own countries but also to that of their trading partners. The negotiations required give and take and the ability to empathize with the other party. Success was possible because of the long history of U.S.-Korea partnership and our shared values and personal connections.
Again, the skills to conclude an international trade agreement are the same skills needed by businesses, governmental organizations, nonprofit organizations and educational institutions to compete in the global economy – an economy that brings with it increasing levels of complexity, ambiguity, and rapid, unpredictable change. These organizations need individuals who can work with people from other cultures, are flexible and adaptable, and who have not only technical competence in economics but also international experience.
Schools can help their students develop these skills by teaching global economics and utilizing resources on the Internet. One such resource is provided by the International Monetary Fund Center, a public center for economics education. The IMF Center has developed educational activities and resources to help students understand the history of money, macroeconomics and the importance of international monetary cooperation, as well as the value of global trade. Another resource that can provide an international economic perspective is a speaker program that brings local citizens into the classroom to talk about their international experiences, either in person or through video teleconferencing. Another source of expertise might be diplomats, exchange students or foreign workers living in the community, as well as Koreans who have lived or worked in foreign countries.
As Ambassador I have traveled outside of Seoul regularly in an effort to reach out to Korean citizens to explain the American perspective on various issues and to listen to the opinions of students, NGOs and regional leaders. On several occasions in recent months, I have been asked about the beef issue. I have told each group the facts about the safety of American beef and have tried to focus on any misconceptions that Korean consumers might have obtained from misleading reports in the media or on the internet. I have pointed out that there has not been even one case – in America or abroad -- of a person getting the “human form of mad cow disease” from eating American beef, and that we have effective measures in place that have prevented “mad cow disease” from occurring in American cattle. I think that it is important to enter into dialogue whenever there is a crisis like this so that we can understand each other better.
I also encourage other Embassy officers to take part in outreach programs in the regions. Recently the Deputy Chief of Mission traveled to Gangwon Province and spoke to a group of women leaders. Last week our Regional English Language Officer traveled to several provinces and gave lectures at English teacher training institutes. An economic officer will visit Gwangju tomorrow to hold a roundtable on the FTA with researchers, and he will also lead a discussion of a film at the American Corner in the Gwangju Metropolitan Mudeung Library. Embassy officers regularly engage provincial high school and university students, researchers, citizens groups, and the general public in such dialogues.
Earlier, I mentioned that global warming is one of the new areas in which our two countries are cooperating as part of our 21st Century Strategic Alliance. Just last month, Korea hosted a Major Economies Meeting that laid the basis for progress toward a global climate change agreement to succeed the Kyoto Protocol after 2012. Our two countries have also been working together for several years as members of the Asia-Pacific Partnership on Clean Development and Climate. The APP is an innovative effort to accelerate the development and deployment of clean energy technologies. APP partners – Australia, Canada, China, India, Japan, the Republic of Korea and the United States – have agreed to work together and with private sector partners to meet goals for energy security, national air pollution reduction, and climate change in ways that promote sustainable economic growth and poverty reduction.
At a recent meeting, participants visited the Samsung LED Exhibition Center to see ways to improve the energy efficiency of existing buildings through LED lighting. By sharing its innovations and best practices with APP partners, the ROK has become a role model for countries like China and India in tackling global environmental challenges.
The Asia-Pacific Partnership operates on the principle that working together the partners stand a better chance of promoting clean development and countering climate change across the globe. The interconnectedness of the world necessitates working together to solve mutual problems. Systematic sharing of best practices is a skill that global citizens must possess. Another related skill is familiarity with the major trends of global change and the issues that they raise.
Schools need to help students to think globally. They can do this by adding a global dimension to all subjects in the curriculum, including science and technology. Generally, students who are good in computer science are also good at English. This may be because the preponderance of the content on the World Wide Web is in English. Foreign language skills, whatever the student’s major, improve his or her chance of getting a job because employers now seek the best qualified candidates by conducting global searches.
Schools can help students become more competitive in math, science, technology and computer science by encouraging them to participate in hands-on learning activities such as science fair projects that develop their problem-solving abilities. Field trips to science museums, observatories, factories and research institutes can help students to see the practical applications of what they study in their science classes. Summer science camps help students develop critical thinking skills. Many schools participate in the Global Learning and Observations to Benefit the Environment (GLOBE) program, a worldwide hands-on, primary and secondary school-based science and education program. GLOBE brings together students, teachers and scientists through the GLOBE Schools Network in support of student learning and research. Many schools in Korea participate in the GLOBE program.
The U.S. Embassy has a science and technology officer who deals with U.S. science policy and speaks to organizations about U.S. government efforts to preserve the environment. You and your students can also find information about the environment, energy and climate, natural resources and biodiversity on the State Department Web site (www.america.gov or www.state.gov).
The final aspect of the U.S.-ROK Alliance that I want to talk about today is the promotion of closer people-to-people ties, which include travel, tourism and cultural exchanges, and – of special importance to this audience – international education. Perhaps you are aware that over 100,000 Korean students at all levels are studying in the United States, more than from any other country in the world. Many families send their young children abroad to develop their English or critical thinking skills. Many go because they have relatives in the United States – either parents doing graduate study or family members who have immigrated there. The strong personal ties with the approximately two million Korean-Americans who live in the United States are also a factor.
While large numbers of Korean students study in the United States, very few American students come to study in Korea. Many Korean universities have exchange programs with U.S. universities, but American students come in fewer numbers and stay for shorter periods than do their Korean counterparts. I would like to see an increasing number of American students coming to Korea. Currently, American students come to study Korean or for cultural exchanges but few actually take regular courses. This is mainly due to the language barrier. Now that Korean has been designated as a critical language under our National Security Language Initiative, however, I hope that more attention will be focused on teaching and studying Korean in the United States.
Sometimes I think that Korea is one of the best kept secrets in the world. My wife, Lisa, and I have been charmed by Korea and feel fortunate to have been posted in this vibrant country for the past three years. All of our guests come away from their visits surprised by what they have discovered here, a beautiful and fascinating country with a wonderful blend of tradition and modernity in art, architecture, science, culture and food. I hope that the secret gets out and that an increasing number of American students come to study in Korea, and that more American tourists come here as well.
Our two countries have a long history of relations and our current relationship is very important because Northeast Asia is a very dynamic region. Together we can promote mutual understanding through dialogue that will not only strengthen our bilateral relationship but also help our citizens to cope with globalization and the challenges of an interconnected and interdependent world. Yi Yulgok believed that the goal of education should be to train students to make practical use of their studies in their daily affairs. I know that you share the same goals of cultivating change and innovation in your schools that will equip your students to succeed in the modern world.
Thanks you for your attention. After a short break, we will have some time to exchange ideas about educating global citizens. I will also be happy to talk about how our alliance has been successful in adapting to changes and is becoming a comprehensive partnership that equips us to deal with global challenges together. Gamsahamnida.