From Iowa to Incheon: Global Ties Iowa Staff's South Korea Experiences

Leila, Brenda, and Zach pose outside Gyeongbokgung Palace.

At Global Ties Iowa, our day-to-day business includes welcoming international delegations visiting us in eastern Iowa. It is a rarer occasion for members of our staff to visit our IVLP alumni around the world. This March, Zach Hemmen, Program Coordinator, and Brenda Gao, Communications Coordinator, travelled to Seoul, South Korea for spring break. The two had the opportunity to explore the rich history and vibrant life of South Korea, simultaneously meeting with IVLP alumni Hyunmi Jung and Leila Assadi, Communications Fellow, who is studying abroad in Seoul for the spring 2025 semester.  

One of the best aspects of Global Ties Iowa is getting to learn about the home countries of our international visitors—in this, we bring the world to the heartland. From previous delegations, our office has learned about traditional Korean games, dining etiquette, and South Korea’s strong emphasis on age-based hierarchy, especially in family, workplace, and community settings.  

Haedong Yonggungsa Temple

Because we have hosted various delegations and IVLP alumni from South Korea and Brenda is studying the Korean language, this was an amazing learning journey for Zach and Brenda.  

Leading up to the trip, Zach and Brenda planned a multitude of activities: meeting up with Leila at her goshiwon, visiting Gyeongbokgung palace, hiking up N Seoul Tower, and more. Besides exploring Seoul as well as they could, Zach, Brenda, and Leila were also able to make a weekend trip to Busan, a city across the country in the south, seeing the beach, riding the Songdo Cable Car over the ocean, and visiting Gamcheon Cultural Village and Haedong Yonggungsa Temple.

Besides exploring Seoul as well as they could, Zach, Brenda, and Leila were also able to make a weekend trip to Busan, a city across the country in the south, seeing the beach, riding the Songdo Cable Car over the ocean, and visiting Gamcheon Cultural Village and Heading Yonggungsa Temple.

Leila, Brenda, and Zach hold coffee with IVLP alum Hyunmi Jung and her friend from the American Embassy.

“On our own, Zach and I ate guksu and lots of triangle kimbap,” Brenda said. “Overall, we were very grateful for the experience and had a lot of fun. We hope we can come back to Korea soon!” 

Zach, Brenda, and Leila also has the incredible opportunity to reconnect with Hyunmi Jung, an IVLP alum of the program “Rule of Law and the U.S. Judicial System” who was in eastern Iowa in February 2025. Hyunmi works as a lawyer for Kim & Chang, Korea's premier law firm and one of Asia's largest law firms. The four, along with Hyunmi’s friend from the American embassy, grabbed lunch and coffee to talk more about the day-to-day operations of Global Ties Iowa, Hyunmi’s personal and professional experiences in eastern Iowa and Korea, and casual topics such as Zach and Brenda’s favorite aspects about Korea.  

If you are interested in learning more about the global travels of our staff, we encourage you to read the blog about our trip to China in summer 2024.