KOREA FOUNDATION

REVIEW

Fifth 2021 ASEAN-Korea Futurist Team Brought to a Close

The 2021 ASEAN-Korea Futurist program’s fifth team, which was comprised of nine students from ASEAN countries and 23 young Koreans, recently completed their term as well as all of their activities. Having begun with a launch ceremony on July 31, the team completed four activities, called “missions,” over a period of five months, through which members increased the Korean public’s awareness of the cultures of various ASEAN countries.

The first task undertaken by the fifth AKF team was for themselves: all members took two classes on an overview of ASEAN to improve their understanding of the region. For the second individual mission, each team member, with family or friends, created a video introducing a noodle dish from one ASEAN country (e.g. sampling various Southeast Asian noodle dishes, tips from a Vietnamese student on maximizing the pho experience, etc.) in a fun and easily understandable way. The video that received the most votes was made available on YouTube to encourage interest in ASEAN noodle dishes among a larger audience.

The activity with the most visible and significant outcomes was the ASEAN Dessert Truck, which was a team mission. Each team prepared one ASEAN dessert: martabak manis from Indonesia, kaya toast from Singapore, teh tarik from Malaysia, cafe sua da from Viet Nam, and nam wan from Laos. Through the students’ efforts, the food truck effectively raised awareness of Southeast Asian culinary culture among Koreans and foreign residents of Korea alike.

Members of the fifth team said that their participation in the ASEAN-Korea Futurist program and its missions gave them a more informed understanding of each ASEAN country. Many noted that, in addition to building friendships with other members, the program was a meaningful way for them to be major ps in ASEAN-Korea exchange.