South Korea's diplomatic training needs a shake-up

With so little interest in diplomatic studies and declining support for KNDA, diplomatic performance will suffer

South Korea’s government think-tanks and training institutes are launched with great intentions when there’s a clear need to transform and change - usually after a crisis that shocks the public and pushes politicians to action. The think-tanks or training institutes perform well for an administration or two, but once the crisis has been addressed they slowly fade to irrelevance with lack of support and neglect.

Not all reflect this pattern, but at the age of twelve years, it’s reckoning time for the Korea National Diplomatic Academy (KNDA). The training of diplomats is undergoing momentous changes across the globe, but with so little interest in diplomatic studies in Korea and declining support for the KNDA, there’s a risk that Korea’s diplomatic performance will soon suffer.

Remember, this place is where the country’s future diplomats are supposed to get their superpowers - and at the moment, it’s facing a few challenges. In recent research with student applicants, recent graduates, an…