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A conversation with PhD candidate Dimas Harris Sean Keefe

Daily Busan interviewed Dimas Harris Sean Keefe, a PhD candidate at the Graduate School of International Studies, Pusan National University(PNU).

Mr. Dimas is also the founder of Beasiswa Korea, a pioneering platform dedicated to empowering Indonesian youth through transformative educational opportunities in Korea.

Q. Please introduce yourself to Daily Busan subscribers. 

Hello, everyone. My name is Dimas Harris Sean Keefe from Indonesia. I’m a PhD student at PNU GSIS majoring in international trade. I’ve lived in Busan for nine years and am preparing to get a startup visa (D-8-4). If possible, I would like to start my own company in Korea. 

Q. Could you tell me about your life in Busan? 

I love Busan so much. I've been living here since 2016. Compared to the first time I came here, there have been many improvements.

When I first came here as an international student, I had a really hard time because I couldn’t speak Korean. I got involved in a program at my school that paired one Korean and one international student to share an activity. This is how I made my first Korean friend.

Thanks to the Busan government and my school, I participated in many events that promote culture sharing, such as Global Gathering.

These events are really helpful for international students or even tourists. Then, I became involved in the school’s student community and made my own community to help Busan or Korea.

I want to become a bridge between Korea and Indonesia, so I created a platform to promote Korean Universities and Korean culture to Indonesian students who want to study in Korea. The website’s name is “Beasiswa Korea,” which in Indonesian means “scholarship in Korea.”

Q. Please tell me about Beasiswa Korea.

Interested students can find scholarship programs that match their profile for free. We have information on all universities and majors in our searchable database.

Then, we made a “Gomaweo (고마워) Fest.” It has the meaning of “thanks” to the Korean government, which gave us a scholarship to study in Korea. During the festival, we invite scholarship awardees from around Korea to share their experiences with incoming students or someone interested in studying in Korea.

 

I want to bridge Korea and Indonesia because in Indonesia, some areas have fewer teachers, and the infrastructure is not equal to that of the big city. There's a divide between the city and villages. So that's why I want to improve our quality of life and bridge Korea and Indonesia.

Q. As you know, Busan is becoming more global. Do you have any ideas for making Busan more global? 

That is a really good question. Korea is famous not only for K-pop or K-drama but also for high education and even scholarships. If Busan wants to be more global, the first thing is that every university should have a guidebook in English or the targeted languages of the students they want to have. 

The second one is after the graduation. After students graduate, they might go to another city to find work. However, if there are more opportunities for international students to get involved with Korean companies in Busan, the city can increase its quality and become more global because it’s ready to hire international students. 

To learn more about how Mr. Dimas empowers youth through education, visit (beasiswakorea.com).

To learn more about the D-8-4 visa, visit the Global Start-up Immigration Center at (oasisvisa.com).

<Today's Vocabulary - 오늘의 단어>

founder: 설립자 pioneering: 선구적인 dedicated to: ~에 전념하는 empower: 힘을 주다 transformative: 변화시키는 improvement: 발전 get involved in: ~에 참여하다 pair: 짝을 맞추다 promote: 촉진하다 bridge: 다리 scholarship: 장학 searchable: 검색 할 수 있는 awardee: 수상자 infrastructure: 사회 기반 시설 divide: 차이 graduation: 졸업