The first part of the annual ASEAN-Korea Youth Network Workshop organized in South Korea by ASEAN-Korea Centre ended on Friday, with a closing ceremony held Seoul.

During the five-day program in South Korea, which kicked off on Monday, 70 students from Korea, Japan, China and Association of Southeast Asian Nation countries took on various activities on the theme of “Global Digitalization.” Seoul National University Asia Center co-organized the event here. 

The second part of the youth network workshop will continue in Manila, Philippines from Saturday to Wednesday.

At the closing ceremony, some 70 participants from Korea, Japan, China and ASEAN countries attended the closing ceremony wearing the traditional costumes of their home countries.

They also held a short talent show where groups of students performed traditional dances and songs of their countries. Informative video clips which the students made during the program was also aired.

“Most important of all, the participants have met new friends, worked together in teams, and forged a strong friendship with each other,” Lee Hyuk, Secretary General of the ASEAN-Korea Centre said in his closing speech. “I hope that you remember these lessons you have learned for the past five days as we move to Manila for the Philippines Program.”

Lee also expressed appreciations to the Ambassadors and representatives of ASEAN embassies for support.

“Amidst many factors affecting this development, Youths have been the focal point and the spotlight of digitalization,” Muhammad Afi Ramadhan, a student participant from Indonesia said in a closing speech. “As the users and the ones who develop the system, our generation needs to have a strong digital literacy, and ensure the digitalization are spread thoroughly within our community.”

Explaining how he has learned that digitalization is like a double-edged sword -- bringing opportunities and threats at the same time -- he added that “human brain” is the thing that creates and controls the technology.

“Therefore we need to use it wisely,” Ramadhan added.

In Seoul, the participants attended several lectures on topics of Industry 4.0 and digital economy. They also visited different sites of the country, such as Seoul City and Digital Media City to witness how the cutting-edge technology has been applied in daily life. The participants also took on several team missions, cooperating with the colleagues from other countries to forge a strong friendship.

In the Philippines program co-organized with the University of the Philippines Asian Center, the students will have chances to visit local startups such as Acudeen, a fintech company, and Rappler, a social news network that also operates in Indonesia. The program also includes meetings with officials from companies such as QBO Innovation Hub and Google on the topic of “Entrepreneurship and Innovation.”

By Jo He-rim (herim@heraldcorp.com)