Visiting International Scholars infuse global perspectives at school

The UNC Hussman School of Journalism and Media is hosting eight media professionals and academics from Asia as part of its Visiting International Scholars (VIS) program.

The scholars spend one year learning about the American media landscape and performing their own research. UNC Hussman Associate Professor Suman Lee is the program’s faculty adviser.

“The VIS program allows for our students and faculty to collaborate with international professionals and academics and helps enrich the school with a global perspective that’s so critical in today’s interconnected world,” said Liana Pinner, director of the school’s global, immersive and professional programs.

The VIS scholars say the program is just as beneficial for them.

“I wanted to study my interests deeply and broaden my knowledge. So, I chose to participate in the VIS program,” said Su-kang Lee, who serves as a political editor at OBS Gyeongin TV in his native South Korea. “I have known for a long time that the UNC journalism school is one of the most prestigious universities in the field … [also] my company is based on local media, not national media, and I wanted to compare and examine the media in places other than large cities.” Lee will research the role of local media in political reporting during his time at UNC Hussman.

Hussman’s Suman Lee said that the intercultural exchanges the VIS program offers are critical in today’s globalized world.

“Globalization is a way of life. The globe is very closely connected and not having a global perspective in journalism and communications is not an option,” Lee said.

Each scholar’s government or employer provides them funding to travel to the U.S. to participate in the program. Seven of the current visiting scholars are from South Korea, and the other is from China. They participate in a weekly meeting in which Hussman faculty members speak about their research topics. The scholars also have the opportunity to sit in on classes and visit local media companies.

Learn more about the scholars:

Li Li
Associate Professor
Guangdong Polytechnic Normal University, China

Li teaches and researches at the business school at Guangdong Polytechnic Normal University, which is located in the southern Chinese city of Guangzhou. She is interested in researching the business models of interactive media.

Jae-won Huh
Reporter, YTN, South Korea

Huh works at the sports division of YTN, the first 24-hour Korean news channel to be broadcast throughout South Korea. He is interested in learning more about sports journalism and media in the U.S.

Heaseung Jeong
Principal Researcher, Korea Telecom, South Korea

Jeong’s research background is based primarily in corporate communications, including internal communications (particularly internal communications for Gen Z employees), as well as corporate social and environmental responsibility.

Min Jung Jo
Journalist, Joongang Tongyang Broadcasting Company, South Korea

Jo is a journalist at Joongang Tongyang Broadcasting Company, a nationwide Korean network, and is attending UNC Hussman to learn more about U.S. media.

Jinhui Kim
World News Director, Korea Broadcasting System, South Korea

Kim has worked as a broadcast journalist for 21 years, covering various fields such as the economy, culture, society and international news. She currently works at the Korea Broadcasting System, which is one of biggest public TV stations in Korea.

Su-Kang Lee
Reporter, OBS Gyeongin TV, South Korea

Lee has been working for a broadcasting company based in Korea’s largest metropolitan area, Seoul, for 14 years. He works mainly in the political department and has covered 12 overseas summits and seven national elections. During his time at UNC Hussman, he wants to learn more about the role of local media in political reporting.

Sungsoo Lim
Journalist, The Kukmin Daily, South Korea

Lim has been a journalist in Korea for 15 years, spending half of his career studying politics. Currently, he works at The Kukmin Daily, a South Korean daily newspaper. He would like to study political journalism in the era of political polarization during his time at UNC Hussman.

Kiseong Son
Reporter, Korea Broadcasting System, South Korea

Son works for the Korea Broadcasting System, where he specializes in sports coverage. During his time at UNC Hussman, he is researching how America’s television stations produce sports content.