The Yonsei International Summer School (YISS), whose international reputation continues to grow, is in session June 28-August 8. This year, students from 23 different nations are spending the summer at Yonsei, taking courses in a variety of fields while learning about Korean culture, politics, and society. Established in 1985, YISS was the first summer school of its kind in Korea. Since then, it has attracted more and more international students every summer. This year, around 1,360 students are enrolled in courses at YISS, with international students hailing from such countries as Singapore, Japan, China, the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, France, Switzerland, Venezuela, the Netherlands, and Jamaica. This summer, YISS is offering over 100 university-level courses taught by highly-qualified professors from around the world. This year, three visiting faculty members, Christina Davis (Princeton), Shin Ki-wook (Stanford), and Allen Carlson (Cornell), are co-teaching a new course entitled Comparative East Asian Studies. This innovative and interdisciplinary course focuses on international relations between Korea, China, and Japan, especially their deep political and economic ties, while also addressing key security issues in the region. Professor Shin, Director of the Walter H. Shorenstein Asia-Pacific Research Center at Stanford University, suggested that with the current tensions in East Asia and Korean President Park Geun-hye’s recent visit to China, interest in the region has increased markedly throughout the world. And this interest, he said, is reflected in the students who are taking the course, including several from America, China, and Japan. Of the 34 students enrolled in the Comparative East Asian Studies course, the majority come from leading universities in Korea, China, and Japan such as Peking University, Fudan University, and the International University of Japan. There are also representatives from the University of Chicago (U.S.), King’s College (U.K.), and the National University of Singapore. Professor Rennie Moon, director of this year’s YISS, said: “The need for development of an educational model to place Korea as the hub of East Asian studies is rising. The Comparative East Asian Studies division was established to meet this need and for Asian students who studied abroad from a young age to recover their identities as Asians as well. At the same time, it will bring together students from East Asian countries and give them an opportunity to increase understanding and create ties and also encourage them to continue their studies in Korea.” The YISS is also offering various programs to increase the competitiveness of Korean students who were educated abroad as they prepare to enter the Korean job market. These programs were created in response to criticism by Korean companies that Korean applicants who have spent a significant amount of time overseas lack Korean language skills and have a difficult time adapting to Korean business culture. For example, advanced Korean writing courses are offered for students who wish to work after graduation in Korean companies or foreign corporations with a presence in Korea. Kim Jang-won, a junior at Minnesota State University who is enrolled in YISS’s “Advanced Korean Writing: Korean Literature,” said: “Most students who started studying abroad when they were young are unaware of their weak writing skills [in Korean]. They only realize this when they start working at Korean companies.” This course, which not only teaches writing skills, but also Korean literature, aims to help students like Kim gain a deeper understanding of Korean culture and society. Additionally, YISS’s “Korea Summer Internship” program provides opportunities for summer school students to intern at local Korean companies. 44 students are participating in this program, interning at 21 different companies, including Amore Pacific, SK Planet, and Handok Pharmaceuticals. In these internships, YISS students have the chance to experience Korean corporate culture first-hand, thereby increasing their competitiveness