Hyunjo Lee is a prospective graduate from Yonsei University with a Bachelor of Arts in English Language and Literature. She minored in Political Science and International Relations, based on a passion for foreign affairs and international conflicts. During her time at Yonsei, she participated in various volunteer projects and contributed to youth engagement, human rights, and climate justice. She organized a project named ‘SOLVERÉ’ to provide educational and psychological help for children from multicultural families and refugees in Korea. She also worked as a youth representative at the ROK Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ (MoFA) Forum for East Asia-Latin America Cooperation to strengthen multilateral cooperation while developing her interests in sustainable development. She also won prizes twice in Model G20 Summits held by MoFA and devoted herself to studying international development cooperation.

Having worked for a social innovation consultancy, she has sophisticated problem-solving skills, and always attempts to investigate problems with a human-centered approach and through the lens of sustainable development to formulate a solution. She has also conducted a government research project to introduce a gender-inclusive investment method in South Korea.

She became interested in North Korean human rights while studying human rights issues and diaspora literature in Yonsei. Hyunjo feels a responsibility as a native Korean for playing a key role in raising the voices of both South and North Koreans to bring peace and social justice to the Korean Peninsula. She hopes to break the taboo of speaking about the human rights of North Koreans, addressing the dilemma of the North Korea issue that exists in Korea because of politicization. Through her internship at HRNK, she hopes to broaden her perspective on the inter-Korean relationship and geopolitical conflicts over the Korean Peninsula, as well as the U.S.-Korea relationship. She also aims to become well acquainted with methodologies and approaches regarding international human rights issues.

With her enhanced knowledge and research experience on human rights and international politics that she gains through the internship, Hyunjo hopes to begin her career in journalism, with a high chance of specializing in international politics and North Korea issues.