Trip ignites teens’ activist spirit

Park Ka-hyun, left, and Han Dong-jin travelled to Australia to learn about global warming. By Lee Eun-joo

A typical Korean high school student’s summer vacation often involves fighting scorching heat and digging into books to prepare for the university entrance exam. But for Park Ka-hyun, 16, and Han Dong-jin, 18, second and third year students at the Hankuk Academy of Foreign Studies, it was a different story. They spent a chilly summer on the other side of the earth. They were out in the field asking challenging questions of Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer.
Selected as the Korean participants for a program called Talkback Classroom, Park and Han crisscrossed Australia for 15 days in July and August investigating issues related to global warming. They were joined by two Australian teenagers, Alexander Meekin and Tina Pahlman. Under the theme “Voice for the Voteless,” Talkback Classroom is a National Museum of Australia program that encourages teenagers to investigate an issue and confront the high-profile government officials in charge of it.
The August program was co-hosted by Korea’s education TV network, EBS. Park and Han were selected after winning an EBS English debate show called “Debate Survival.” Their trip was boiled down to a 50-minute documentary that aired last week on an EBS channel. The clip is still available online at www.ebse.co.kr. Touring around Sydney, Brisbane, Canberra and Darwin, Park and Han met the area’s leading environmental figures. Park fondly remembered watching Aboriginal leaders block the expansion of a uranium mine and a trip to the sea to witness coral bleaching caused by global warming. “Global warming used to be one of many issues that I thought about in my head,” Park said. “Now it is something I feel in my heart.”
At one point, she wanted to turn on the heater, but her Australian roommate, Tina, disagreed because of global warming. “I learned a lot after all,” Park said, smiling. Back in Korea, she found herself asking her mother to turn off an air conditioner as a way to fight global warming, which she had not done before the trip to Australia.
For Han, who was making his first trip to an English-speaking country, watching his Australian peers ask questions that put high-profile politicians in the hot seat was a culture shock. “It was at first uncomfortable for me to ask politicians aggressive questions,” Han said. “But I learned that we should not be afraid of them. They are the ones who should be afraid of us, who gave them power.”
Han sees the trip as a step to achieving his dream of going to an American university and of becoming an international business manager. Park, who dreams of being an anchorwoman in international journalism, said she learned to be more active in environmental issues. “I will make contact with environmental groups in Korea and continue to be a part of the movement,” she said.

By Chun Su-jin Staff Writer sujiney@joongang.co.kr