Jeonbuk National University (JBNU) student Lee Jin-young (fourth-year, Electrical Engineering) has been finally selected as an international cooperation volunteer by the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA), an organization under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade.

This is the first time a JBNU student has been selected as an international cooperation volunteer in a science and engineering field.

KOICA selects a small number each year of international cooperation volunteers, international cooperation physicians, and general professional volunteers in the fields of industry and energy, education, health, public administration, and agriculture, forestry and fisheries. The aim is to contribute to the economic and social development of developing countries and to promote friendly cooperative relations and exchanges between Korea and developing countries.

Ms. Lee, who was ultimately selected for the electrical and power field, was highly evaluated not only for her excellent academic record and English proficiency but also for her activities as a VANK Korean Culture and Tourism Diplomacy Ambassador, more than 500 hours of volunteer experience, work as a webzine reporter for the Electric Committee of the Ministry of Knowledge Economy, an internship in the Information Business Department of the Electronic Times, and service as a student public relations ambassador, among various other internal and external activities.

In particular, she received strong recognition for having visited 24 countries through large companies' overseas exploration contests, exchange programs, overseas volunteer work, and university international exchange programs, which contributed to her selection as an international cooperation volunteer.

Accordingly, Ms. Lee will receive one month of domestic training at the Korea Overseas Volunteer Education Center in Seoul and then spend two years teaching electrical and power subjects at a vocational training institute in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. There she will provide educational volunteer work to train technical personnel needed in Uzbekistan's power sector and to support technology transfer.

Lee Jin-young said, "Traveling to many countries and gaining diverse experiences with the support of the university laid the foundation for my selection as a KOICA international cooperation volunteer. I hope that the two years of service as an international cooperation volunteer will nourish me as I pursue my personal goal of working at the UN."