In this blog post, I’ll summarize my experiences, focusing on my academic journey and school activities during high school, examples of compassion, generosity, and collaboration, as well as my motivation for applying and my efforts to prepare for my future career.
Academic Experiences and Reflections
The Power of Understanding Principles: I was always curious about the secret to my friends’ academic success. I wondered how I could get good grades like them; they often seemed like people from a completely different world. Driven by this curiosity, I was paired with the top student in the school and began observing their study habits.
Through my observations, I discovered a significant difference. While I focused on mock exams and workbooks—buying and working through a new workbook once a week—my classmate carried their textbook with them every day, repeatedly reviewing concept guides and books summarizing fundamental principles. They devoted more time to grasping and understanding the underlying principles than to simply solving a large number of problems.
After hearing what my friend had to say, my study method changed completely. I limited myself to working through a practice workbook just once a day and focused the rest of my time on solidifying my understanding of basic principles and concepts. I was able to concentrate better in class, and as I spent more time reviewing concepts using the core textbooks, my grades naturally began to improve. Even application problems became much easier to solve because I understood the underlying principles.
Major School Activities and Reflections
Making something with my own hands for the first time in the film club: The most special experience I had in high school was making a movie myself in the film club. I had always loved movies, but I used to think that only special people could make them. When I joined the club and took on various roles—such as planning, directing, and acting—I experienced for the first time the sense of accomplishment that comes from “planning and creating something on my own.”
Through that activity, I came to understand what I wanted and how I thought, and I gained the confidence that I could achieve anything if I set my mind to it. In particular, while collaborating with friends to produce a medium-length film, I gained practical experience in dividing roles, communicating, and problem-solving. This experience helped me regain the “power to decide and act on my own”—a quality that is easy to lose amid an academic-focused daily routine.
Furthermore, a documentary I filmed with the film club sparked my interest in Korea-Japan relations. After learning about an incident where a Japanese student who had transferred to our school refused to attend Korean language class, I decided to explore the issue through a documentary. I persuaded my friends to join me, and we proceeded with filming. During the filming process, by directly observing and documenting daily life, emotions, and patterns of conflict within the school, I came to understand not only the surface of the problem but also the complex context underlying it.
Writing About Examples of Consideration, Sharing, and Cooperation, and My Reflections
Resolving Korea-Japan Issues Through a Documentary About a Japanese Transfer Student: During the documentary production process, I discovered the difficulties faced by my Japanese friends and sought to address the polarized Korea-Japan issues within our school. At first, I faced significant backlash simply for taking the side of my Japanese friends. Since the situation was sensitive due to political issues at the time, many classmates opposed or protested the production of the documentary.
I believed the documentary should not simply serve to determine who was at fault. So, I persuaded my classmates to at least watch the film first; the finished piece presented the situation through everyday life and interviews, rather than relying on extreme claims or definitive interpretations. My Japanese friend’s introverted nature and the discomfort he felt were naturally revealed through family interviews and his own account, and the documentary also captured moments where he reflected on the preconceptions he had held without realizing it.
While my friends’ reactions to the video varied, they all shared a sense of sympathy for my Japanese friend’s loneliness. As a result, he began to adjust his perspective and showed a willingness to adapt to school life, and the viewers also developed a greater willingness to understand one another. This experience made me realize how important it is, in situations of conflict, to focus on understanding the other person’s perspective through dialogue rather than taking sides, and to work together to find a common solution.
Efforts and Preparation Related to My Motivation for Applying and Career Plans
Through these experiences, I decided to apply to the Department of Korean-Japanese Cultural Content. While making the documentary, I developed a strong desire to calmly unravel issues entangled in history and emotion by examining them within the context of factual relationships and everyday life. I aspire to become a professional who, rather than dwelling on superficial emotions, approaches these issues based on accurate facts to bridge mutual misunderstandings and find common ground for cooperation.
Specifically, I plan to thoroughly study historical facts and strengthen my ability to understand cultural contexts. At the same time, I will continue to gain experience in content planning—such as documentary production—to promote public understanding. My experience filming and conducting interviews at school has honed the practical skills needed to persuade people and create spaces for dialogue, and I intend to use this foundation to play a role in identifying areas of cooperation in Korea-Japan relations.
