Seoul, South Korea emerges as one of the most significant economic and cultural hubs in Asia, according to the International Programs website. Seoul became an ideal destination for the faculty-led program for students to learn about the intersections of communication, culture and corporations. Photo courtesy of Pepperdine University
Editor’s Note: The details of the Seoul, South Korea summer program are not finalized and subject to change.
Launching for the first time in Pepperdine International Programs’ history, the Korea: Communication, Culture, and Corporations (C3) program will continue to expand Pepperdine’s abroad reach into East Asia this summer from June 8 to July 3. The program takes place in Seoul, where students will deepen their understanding of East Asia’s history and social dynamics while building intercultural competence, according to Pepperdine International Programs.
Two faculty members from the Communication program department are leading the program: Charles Choi and Klive Oh, both associate professors of Communication. Leading a small cohort of students, Choi and Oh will offer curated academic courses, cultural excursions and professional experiences, Choi said.
“Korea being on the other side of the Pacific Ocean and having a rich history and culture of its own, I think would be extremely beneficial for students to get all sorts of facets of this,” Oh said. “Coming back, I think students will come back with not just more knowledge, but also more tolerance.”
From an Idea to a Reality
The vision of the summer program started back in fall 2024, when the International Programs office approve the application, Oh said. However, the idea has been in Oh’s mind since his first year at Pepperdine.
“I found out that Dr. Choi had been trying to put a program together in Korea for, also, years,” Oh said. “When I heard that, it was like, ‘Hey, the two of us together will create synergy, maybe it’ll be more appealing.’ That’s when we applied.”
For Choi, the summer program came from a personal level, as well, Choi said. The motivation drew from his time as a student in college studying abroad in Korea and his ethnic and cultural heritage.
“We’ve gotten tremendous support from International Programs,” Choi said. “They’ve been doing this a long time, not only international programs, but faculty-led programs.”
Alongside Greg Muger, director of student experience at International Programs, Choi and Oh have been collaborating to craft the best program with their vision and expertise as they see fit, Choi said. Additionally, Pepperdine has been in partnership with an agency in Korea that specializes in study abroad educational programs, which has taken up a lot of the logistics and resources.
Additionally, both professors bring their personal and professional expertise to the program in their own individual way, creating a unique set of circumstances, Choi said. Oh comes from an international background born and raised in Korea.
“I can shed more light into what does professional life look like, especially a PR person’s life or a marketing person’s life looks like in the Korean setting,” Oh said. “Just overall knowledge and familiarity [of the area], plus the professional experience.”
This has been an impactful insight to the program as Oh was in Korea this past summer meeting with different organizations for potential partnership while knowing a good layout of the land, Choi said.
Intercultural Competence In Education
Similarly to many abroad programs, the Korea summer program will also be offering academic courses, according to Pepperdine.
Choi said he will be teaching the Introduction to Intercultural Communication class, which will involve studying the history and politics behind the Korean War. Students will have the opportunity to connect with an alternative government-supported school in Seoul called Daum that facilitates education to a wider variety of students, including North Korean refugees’ children.
“I’m going to have the privilege of being able to show students and walk students through [Korean War] history, as well as some of the current difficulties as it pertains to refugees, North Korean refugees living in South Korea,” Choi said.
The class will put intercultural communication to practice through personal engagement, such as meeting with the students from Daum, visiting the demilitarized zone between North and South Korea, going to museums and hearing guest lectures, Choi said.
Oh said he will be teaching a Special Topics in Public Relations class, which will look different in a Korean setting of working in media relations. Oh wants students to learn how corporate giants in Korea influence Korean consumerism.
“For each one, you could see how things pan out differently in the Korean context,” Oh said. “But, most importantly, I’ll have them look at Korean consumer habits.”
The course will include visits to some of the top organizations in Korea, chances to meet with Korean college students and opportunities to conduct research on how campaigning Korean products looks in a global market, Oh said.
“To be in a foreign country and have a student engage with somebody that’s different with a different upbringing, that is impactful as well — so all of that, desensitizing us to the difference [in culture] and really shaping someone’s [intercultural] competence by encouraging their motivation,” Choi said.
Soul-Searching In Seoul
Sophomore Psychology major Liesel Grace Mendoza said she applied to the Korea program because she loved visiting Korea on her own and thought it would be a fun place to experience with people around her age.
“I just thought it was really exciting to be a part of this program for the first time and use my experience from prior IP experiences to also help out with this program,” Mendoza said.
Outside of classes, the faculty members have planned a packed experience within the four-week program in hopes of cultural immersion and providing them with the best scope of Korea, Choi said. Excursions include a train trip to Busan, food tours, cultural events, engagement with the K-pop industry and a baseball game.
“There are a couple of really famous museums that I’m going to take students to and the Korean traditional markets that we’ll go to try different foods,” Oh said. “Every week, there will be a group dinner and every time, we’re going to try and introduce some authentic Korean cuisine.”
Mendoza wants to come back from this experience with a newfound sense of community, not just with her cohort peers but with everyone she meets in Korea, Mendoza said.
Oh said he had a final message for the upcoming Korea summer cohort.
“It’s only a four-week program and I don’t think four weeks is long enough to experience all of Korea, so take what you can and don’t overwork yourself,” Oh said. “Take one thing at a time and you will gradually get to understand.”
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Contact Christine Park via email: christine.park@pepperdine.edu