The University of Birmingham hosted Choo Kyu-Ho, the Republic of Korea’s Ambassador to the United Kingdom, this week at its Edgbaston campus.
The Ambassador’s visit to Birmingham highlights growing civic and academic ties with South Korea. It was also an opportunity for the Ambassador to meet staff and Korean students who are involved in the University of Birmingham’s MA in Policy into Practice, as well as senior University representatives.
The University has a long-standing agreement with the Korean government to enable Korean mid-career government officers to undertake professional training at the University. In strengthening these links, the University plans to incorporate a work placement programme enabling future students to gain a unique experience of UK local government, in a formal agreement with Birmingham City Council.
The visit to the University includes a meeting with Vice-Chancellor Professor David Eastwood, Professor Edward Peck, Pro-Vice-Chancellor and Head of the College of Social Sciences; and Andréa Edwards, Director of International Development and Mobility. Accompanying Ambassador Choo is Oh Byoung-Kwon, Counsellor from the Political Section of the Korean Embassy and Lee Ho-Hyeon, First Secretary from the Economic Section.
Andréa Edwards, Director of International Development and Mobility, at the University of Birmingham, said: “We are delighted to welcome His Excellency Ambassador Choo to the University of Birmingham. We believe the visit serves to highlight the emerging strength of relations between the University and the Republic of Korea. The University is one of the most popular UK universities for students from Korea and we are pleased to be able to continue to provide training for civil servants from Seoul on our MA Policy into Practice Programme, supporting them in developing a global perspective as they progress in their careers.”