In January 2001, the Bloustein School and the School’s Urban Planning and Policy Development Masters Program entered into a partnership to accept students from the School of Public Policy and Management of the Korea Development Institute (KDI) into the Urban Planning and Policy Development graduate program.
The KDI School of Public Policy and Management was established in 1998 to meet the educational needs of government and business leaders in a globalizing world economy. The school is a collaborative effort between the Korea Development Institute, founded 30 years ago as Korea’s premier policy research organization, and the Korean government. Classes at the KDI School, which attracts students from Asia and around the world, are conducted in English. Approximately 40 percent of the student body is comprised of international students. As part of their two-year master’s course, KDI School students are required to spend one year at an overseas university.
Rutgers and the Bloustein School are very well known in Korean academic and planning circles, and offer KDI students an excellent opportunity to broaden their knowledge and practical skills through the combination of coursework and professional internship.
On December 5, the Bloustein School recognized the six students completing their studies at the Bloustein School in 2014:
Seunghyun Chun
Seunghyun has been employed by the Korea Expressway Corporation, a public enterprise responsible for constructing and managing national expressways in South Korea, for the past ten years. He graduated at the top of his class from the Hankuk University of Foreign Studies with a degree in public administration in 2002 and later went on to earn his Masters at Soeul National University in 2007. Seunghyun is interested in the efficient use of land and urban revitalization. He plans to return to Korea with the skills developed within the MCRS program to play an active role in policy making by identifying opportunities, formulating project plans and making well informed investment decisions.
Joosik Kim
Joosik received a Bachelor of Arts degree in public administration and served as a naval officer for 3 years. His employment at the Multi-functional Administrative City Construction Agency has piqued his interest in urban planning and is currently working with Urban Design. To develop a comprehensive understanding of the theory and practice of planning of cities, Joosik chose the MCRS program to gain this knowledge. Along with the seven years of experience and accomplishments in his country, this degree will provide him an excellent foundation for coping with the challenges ahead in his career.
Yangji Kim
Yangji received a Bachelor’s degree in urban engineering and a Master’s degree in urban planning. In 2001, she joined the taskforce of Seoul City Government which aimed to develop policy recommendations on transforming Seoul’s transport system. For the past seven years, she has been employed by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy in Korea where her focus has been on technology, energy, and international relations. Her experiences at the Ministry led her to choose the Master of City and Regional Studies degree at Rutgers to expand her practical knowledge and improve her ability to navigate sophisticated policy.
Ki Su Noh
Ki Su majored in English and French literature. For the past three years, he has served as the deputy director at Dae-jeon city, developing the city through planning and management. He has a great interest in transportation policy and planning, as well as urban and community development. He realized he wanted to compliment his work experiences with a strong academic foundation which led him to the Masters in Regional Studies program. His goal in taking the year-long study, was the opportunity to enhance his planning abilities and acquire the necessary knowledge to address the challenges that his city has been facing, such as transportation and national growth.
Yeonju Song
Yeonju has served as the deputy director of the Ulsan Metropolitan City of Government in Korea. With two years experience in each division of environmental policy and tourism, her passions in urban planning and policy development led her to chose the Bloustein School. Her thirst for education has not only widened her understanding of urban design and planning but also strengthened her ability to pursue her vision. Her goal is to work for the Ministry of Security and Public Administration, which assumes affairs of national administration, government organization, personnel management and regional development.
Ji Ae Yang
Ji Ae double majored in History and English & English literature where she was top-ranked amongst her peers. She has worked for the Seoul Metropolitan Government for twelve years. She was awarded citation from the Mayor of Seoul for her efforts and accomplishments. She has had a long and varied career in urban planning and public policy and had long been interested in furthering her knowledge in the field planning, specifically in community development. Rutgers is the stepping stone in her career and she hopes to continue connections with various urban professionals to help promote collaborative planning policy for the future development of Seoul.