Lee Song-Lee
Editor-in-Chief

Kookmin University (KMU) is a place where
a lot of foreign students from different
countries thrive and achieve their dreams
and passions, making it a home for both
exchange students and international students.
Therefore, KMU hosts various events and
special programs dedicated to bringing its
foreign students together and helping them
feel welcome. However, do they feel included
and a sense of belonging with Korean
students? Do these endeavors and efforts
of the school actually work? To find out,
THE KOOKMIN REVIEW conducted several
interviews with KMU’s foreign students.

1. Do you feel that you fully belong to the KMU
community?

• Sitora Batyr (KMU International Business
School·23): Currently, I am feeling more
comfortable as a member of the university
community. However, I remember how
different it was when I had just started
attending KMU. I believe that, most of the
time, it is simply a matter of not being used
to the way things are in a new place.

• Yousefi Rizi Mohammad (School of
Medical Engineering·24): Even though I speak
good Korean and fully understand the culture,
I will never be Korean. Compared to Koreans,
we have a different university orientation,
different graduation, different grading system,
and different requirements for graduation.

• Tran Ha Thanh Thanh (Visual Communication
Design·22): I rarely feel excluded, but the
times when I do are usually when I miss out
on important information or announcements
from the university. By the time I find out, the
events I wanted to join have already passed
or I learn that the activities I’m interested in
are open only to specific groups of students.

2. KMU has introduced multiple programs
specifically for foreign students, such as
Global Buddy, Sungkok Global Family, and
Dream Program. Are you a part of any of these
programs? What was your experience like?

• Tran Ha Thanh Thanh (Visual Communication
Design·22): I’ve participated in both
the Global Buddy and Sungkok Global
Family programs, where I was a mentee, and
my mentor was a Korean student. These
programs helped me improve my language
skills, learn more about Korean culture, and
adapt to life in Korea more quickly.

3. what other school event or activity helped
you feel more included at KMU as a foreign
student?

• Sitora Batyr (KMU International Business
School·23): Prometheus has helped me
feel more included as a foreign student.
Prometheus is generally a language and
cultural exchange club, which was very
helpful for me in terms of learning how to
make new connections with fellow students.
Some of my closest friends are also fellow
club members!

• Yousefi Rizi Mohammad (School of Medical
Engineering·24): My dear friend, a rapper
named “NERDYBOI,” brought me to the
G-CHORD hip-hop club, where he taught
me how to make music, write lyrics, and sing.
NERDYBOI was an amazing tutor, so much
so that our song, “High Tonight,” was a hit at
the Kookmin Autumn Festival Show, and we
both got a lot of love from everyone.

4. Moving forward, what improvements could
KMU make to help foreign students feel more
included and adjust to the student community
more easily? What do you think Korean students
could do?

• Sitora Batyr (KMU International Business
School·23): As a student who speaks Korean, I
find it easy to learn about the different events
held by our school and even deadlines, but I
understand how it could be more challenging
for students who don’t speak Korean or
are just starting to learn the language. I feel
like providing more of the different school
notices and announcements with an English
translation would be a great way to help!

• Tran Ha Thanh Thanh (Visual Communication
Design·22): Many foreign students face
challenges with the language barrier. So,
KMU could offer more Korean language
classes tailored to academic and day-to-day
communication.

Conducting several interviews with the foreign
students at KMU allowed THE KOOKMIN
REVIEW to get a better understanding of
how KMU’s international students feel about
being members of the school community.
They suggested that KMU’s various programs
helped them fit in when they first entered
the school. It can also be concluded from the
interviews that foreign students often struggle
with not being able to fully understand and
communicate in Korean. Therefore, in the
future, KMU could provide more practical
language classes to its foreign students to
help them better adjust to school life. THE
KOOKMIN REVIEW hopes that KMU’s foreign
students continue to feel included and
welcome at KMU!

songleelee@kookmin.ac.kr