A Dream in Progress: Visiting KDI School in Sejong City

Visiting KDI School was once a dream of mine, both before I came to Korea and before I fully learned what life in Sejong City would feel like.

My journey with KDI School began in mid-2022, when a friend encouraged me to apply. KDI School offers highly selective scholarship opportunities for qualified candidates who are committed to contributing to public policy development in their home countries. From that moment on, my desire to study in Korea and at KDI in particular grew stronger.

To make this dream actionable, I researched the admission requirements and applied for the Spring semester intake in August 2022 to study public policy, specializing in Trade and Industrial Policy. After submitting all required documents, including my personal statement and research proposal, I progressed to the interview stage, the final step in the selection process. Unfortunately, I did not receive an admission offer at that time, because the admitted quota for Somali applicants was limited.

With My Friend Mohamed Gabanow in front of the KDI school

That experience, and my progress up to the final stage, motivated me to keep exploring new opportunities. I also pursued scholarship options while preparing for future applications. After receiving my admission results in early December 2022, my friends, Eng. Mohamud Shawul and Ustad Abshir Yonis encouraged me to persevere and pursue additional scholarships. Abshir advised me to apply for the GKS (Global Korea Scholarship), which typically opens in February each year. I successfully completed the GKS interview in 2023, and in 2025 I was fortunate to be selected as one of the candidates from Somalia.

The Korea Development Institute (KDI) School is one of Korea’s leading think-tank-based institutions. The researchers who established the school aimed to share their knowledge and experience in policy development across multiple disciplines. KDI School supports aspiring policy professionals with technical expertise and scholarship opportunities, selected based on each candidate’s passion and plan to contribute to public policy in their home country. With a research-based approach, KDI School provides a supportive learning environment that helps students thrive in the field of public policy.

Studying at KDI School has always been my passion. In 2025, I arrived in South Korea to pursue my master’s in international business at Ajou University under the GKS scholarship program funded by the Korean government. Visiting KDI had long been on my “to-do” list. On July 10, 2026, I finally made that dream a reality. I would like to thank my friend, Mohamed Gabanow, who majors in Public Policy with a concentration in Finance and Microeconomic Policy, for hosting me and giving me a campus tour of KDI School. I also had the chance to explore the vibrant, self-governing city of Sejong, where the school is located.

Standing in front of the Presidential Archive building at Sejong Lake Park

Sejong City is named after King Sejong, one of Korea’s most celebrated kings and the inventor of Hangul (한글). Compared with other places I have visited, Sejong feels greener and more environmentally planned. While biking with Mohamed in the afternoon, I experienced key features of the city, including the Sejong Government Complex, the largest government complex in the world, housing more than 15 ministries, including the Prime Minister’s Office. I also visited the Presidential Archive located within Sejong Lake Park.

As the government plans to relocate key agencies from overcrowded areas such as Seoul to emerging cities like Sejong, Sejong’s strategic importance continues to grow. During my visit, I also noticed the headquarters of KRIHS, another government-affiliated think tank located near KDI School.

Inside KDI School Campus building

Even though I did not gain admission to KDI School at that time, the effort itself changed me. Pursuing that pathway gave me the confidence to face challenges and the courage to keep moving forward. Ultimately, I realized another dream: pursuing postgraduate education in South Korea. Visiting KDI School and Sejong City gave me time to reflect on my progress, and it reminded me of the history, meaning, and beauty of Sejong City, the de facto administrative capital of South Korea.

 

A Dream Come True: My Adventures on Beautiful Jeju Island

 

Jeju Island was one of my favorite places to visit in South Korea. During my GKS application for 2025, I chose Jeju National University as my second choice for the scholarship; however, I ultimately decided to enroll at Ajou University, as I received admission there first and it was my top choice. I had been trying to find time to plan a visit to Jeju.

 

Fortunately, on January 22, 2026, my teacher, Kim Yeong-jin, informed us about an opportunity from Ajou University’s Center for International Education (CIE) program that would support travel costs for students willing to explore within Korea during the winter break. My Indonesian friend, Hafiz, suggested that we apply together with our Jordanian friend, Mohamed. We didn’t hesitate to take the opportunity and agreed to choose Jeju as our destination. We submitted our application and were fortunate enough to receive an acceptance email by February 2, 2026. Ajou’s CIE provided us with the chance to explore Jeju Island while covering all flight and accommodation expenses.

On Wednesday, February 11th, we had a travel day. We packed our bags the day before, and early in the morning, we made our way to Gimpo Airport in Seoul. We took an airport bus from Suwon and safely arrived at Gimpo airport. The check-in process was smooth, as we had completed our boarding passes online. Our boarding time was set for 12:15 PM, and we landed in Jeju at 1:40 PM. During the descent, I was amazed by the beauty of the airport surrounded by the sea and its impressive size.

 

Upon landing in Jeju, we noticed the airport was quite crowded, as it is a popular destination for tourists at this time of year. We inquired about a pick-up service from our hotel, but unfortunately, they did not make any arrangements. The hotel was located on the other side of the city and far from the airport. However, since public transportation in Korea is affordable and easily accessible, the hotel staff recommended we take the bus. Thankfully, we were able to use our T-money card, a rechargeable transportation card commonly used in Korea. After nearly two hours, we arrived at our hotel, which was situated near Hamdeok Beach.

 

In the afternoon, we took some time to explore the beach and stroll along its beautifully decorated pathways. The beach area is surrounded by roads, mountains, and buildings, making it a popular spot for people to enjoy walks in both the morning and afternoon. I would have liked to swim, but while there were swimming areas available, the weather was quite chilly for winter, with temperatures ranging from 6 to 11 degrees Celsius, which made it a bit challenging. Despite the cold, although it was warmer than in other cities like Seoul, my friends and I had a great time at the beach, visiting local markets and trying various street foods. Fortunately, most of the seafood options available were halal for us as Muslims.

 

Later that night, we returned to our hotel and began planning our itinerary for the next day, including the areas we wanted to visit. We agreed to visit Hallasan  National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the highest mountains in South Korea, with a distance of 153.1KM squares it`s a tourist hotspot and everyone`s to-visit list while visiting Jeju Island an area best for hiking and the scenic views of nature, as it has an untapped and well-preserved forest in the area.

The next morning, we planned our travel to explore Jeju, particularly starting from Hallasan National Park, as renting cars is mostly recommended to make it easier for your trip and exploration, since we didn't have a driving license, and the only person our Jordanian friend, whose international driving license expired. We opted to take the buses as they are accessible everywhere in the Island, during the trip to Hallasan, I have enjoyed the eye catching views in the road as I chose to sit the window the scenic view of the Mountainous land with tall trees and the white snow gives the mind energy and relive while watching until I hear the announcement of the bus that the next stop is Hallasan National park, after we arrived unfortunately we were late for few minutes as they close 11:45 am due to prevention measures as the time of hiking and return is estimated 8 to 9 hours after that we moved with our plans further by going to some other destinations we have planed to visit in that day.

We have continued our exploration and made our way to the Jeongbang Cheonjiyeong waterfalls. The beautiful and scenic views reminded me of my hometown, Isha Baidoa. One waterfall cascades from a rocky mountain into the ocean, while the other flows from a forest that resembles Isha Baidoa.

Henceforth, we met Myung Sook Suh, a retired Korean journalist and a well-known figure who founded the Jeju Olle Foundation, which built the Jeju Olle trails—a 437-kilometer-long path that surrounds Jeju Island. She shared her experiences in journalism and community service, as well as how she is enjoying her retirement. Myung was energetic and charismatic as she shared her unique story, impressing our diverse team comprising members from three different countries with varied educational backgrounds in medicine, computer science, and business administration. She later guided us through the local markets, recommending some local food for us to try.

With Myung Sook Suh, from right to left, Hafiz, Myung, Mohamed, and me

Later, before sunset, we discovered Oedolgae, a famous rock formation in the sea and a popular evening spot. The view of the sunset against the seawater and the mountainous rock was incredibly relaxing and reminded me of a well-known Somali song by the great singer Hassan Adan Samater; the beauty of the view could only be truly captured in that song. Afterward, we explored downtown before returning to our hotel to review our plans for the next day before going to sleep.

On Friday, we discovered an Indonesian community-run mosque and joined them for prayers. Later, we found a Yemeni restaurant where we had lunch. After that, we spent time at Ilchulbong, another UNESCO World Heritage site. This location features a unique combination of sea views, volcanic rock formations, well-maintained hiking trails, and stunning sunsets. Due to its popularity, it was quite crowded, but we patiently waited to witness the sunset, which beautifully blended with the lake and the vibrant flowers, a scene often depicted in Korean movies.

 

On our last day, 14^th of February 2026, as we prepared to return to Suwon for our 4 PM flight, we planned to tour mandarin farms, as Jeju is famous for its mandarin production. During our exploration, I observed that despite having limited agricultural land, there is a wide range of urban farming across the island, and the production methods seem quite effective. Unfortunately, it started to rain in the morning, so we decided to explore other areas near the airport instead. We found an Indonesian restaurant where we enjoyed some delicious cuisine before making our way to the airport. In the evening, we landed at Gimpo Airport in Seoul.

In conclusion, visiting this beautiful island was a dream come true, made possible by the support of Ajou University's CIE, where I am currently enrolled in a Korean language program. Although a few days is not enough time to fully experience Jeju, this trip was incredibly worthwhile in fulfilling one of my dreams. I hope to have more time and opportunities to explore this beautiful island and other tourist destinations in South Korea in the future. Spending time in places like these rejuvenates me during semester breaks.