Post: At-large board member B (term until December 2015)
Candidate: Youkyung Lee
Youkyung’s letter of candidacy:
Dear AAJA members,
2015 marks only the second year for me as an AAJA member but during this short time, I’ve met so many inspiring journalists who have helped expand the scope of my experiences. I decided to run as at-large board member to return what I have received and because I wanted to be more actively involved in AAJA.
My top priority as a board member for the first half of year to help successfully organize the annual n3con event, which will be held in Seoul for the first time. The 2013 conference in Hong Kong gave me so many opportunities to better deal with the challenges I have encountered as a journalist and hear fresh views on what is going on in other parts of Asia. I’m very excited that the conference this year will be in Seoul, and I’ve already submitted some programming and organizational ideas for the conference to the Seoul vice president.
Another goal is to help expand membership in Seoul and plan timely, relevant local events with other members. In my career as a journalist, I’ve spent equal amounts of time at both a Korean news company and an American company. I joined the Associated Press in Seoul as a technology and business writer in 2012 after 3.5 years at Yonhap News Agency as a staff writer. These experiences, along with the people I’ve met in the South Korean government, businesses, startups and other corners of the Korean society, will be one asset that I can bring to the board. It will contribute to finding ways for AAJA members to better engage with people in other, perhaps less accessible, parts of Korea. One example: in 2013, I helped match AAJA members with North Korean defectors who were struggling with college English courses for tutoring and lasting friendships. It was a moving experience for myself as well—I’m still in regular contact with my student,helping her with coursework and career advice advice. Projects like these could be beneficial to both the AAJA community and Korean society.
I would like to start by contributing to the AAJA Seoul chapter but in later months, when I become more comfortable with the way that the AAJA works, I would like to reach out to other chapters in other Asian countries.
Thank you for your time!
Sincerely,
Youkyung