Eximbank dispatches 44 interns to developing countries

Export-Import Bank of Korea (Eximbank) headquarters in Seoul / Courtesy of Eximbank

The Export-Import Bank of Korea (Eximbank) said Thursday that it will dispatch 44 young global interns to 10 developing countries.

The program is under the Economic Development Cooperation Fund (EDCF), established by the Korean government in 1987 to support developing countries. The fund is entrusted to and managed by Eximbank.

The program sends selected Korean university and graduate students interested in international development to partners in developing countries. This year's countries include Vietnam, the Philippines, Indonesia, Cambodia, Sri Lanka, India, Uzbekistan, Tanzania, Ghana and Colombia.

Before and after their overseas assignments, participants will be placed for three months in EDCF-related departments at the bank's headquarters, where they will gain hands-on experience in project planning and implementation.

Park Jung-eun, who worked at the Tashkent office in Uzbekistan for six months last year and joined Eximbank as a new employee this year, said, "While working on the National Children’s Hospital project in Tashkent, I came to fully appreciate the importance of concessional aid, including support from the EDCF."

An Eximbank official expressed hope that young people will continue to participate in the program.

"The program provides a valuable opportunity for participants to gain a deeper understanding and broader perspective on international development cooperation by working directly on EDCF projects in the field," the official added.

As of this year, Eximbank has dispatched a total of 485 EDCF global interns since the program's launch in 2010.