Arguments fly left and right on Thursday, as Claudia Puente and Lee Hae-kyung engage in negotiations and trying to seek a settlement in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi Province.

　　In what looks likes a heated discussion between lawyers, is actually a negotiation competition among international graduate students and Korean civil servants.

　The competition is part of the Central Officials Training Institutes curriculum to educate officials on negotiation tactics while abroad amid diverse cultural backgrounds.

　 Yoon Eun-key, president of COTI 　　“Rather than the conventional, we have found that more specific, practical and hands-on education directly connects to national interest, so that is why we are offering specific and practical negotiation courses.”

　　And to help with the cultural aspect, COTI invited eight foreign graduate students from China, Russia and Peru among others.

　Yoon Eun-key, president of COTI 　“When foreign civil servants participate in these events, it offers a more practical education.”

　　To help judge the event, there are also four law professors from the U.S. currently teaching at Handong Global University.

　And the public officials are grateful for the experience as well.

　Claudia Puente, graduate student from Peru 　“I really enjoy being here, its just part of my experience and I hope that this can be another opportunity to keep improving,”

Lee Hae-Kyung, Official at the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology 　“I learned from negotiation, how to interact with people and how to understand them.”

　 　Such programs are one of a few that have helped to cement South Korea’s place in the global arena.

　Herald News Robert Lee


yoon4698@heraldcorp.com