Last Days and Lasting Friendships

With the program coming to an end, we still had quite a couple memorable moments in the last few days! Our guest speaker, producer and songwriter Paul Thompson (also known as MZMC), came by on Wednesday to speak to the navigators about his work and future endeavors in the k-pop music industry. He is known for his past work with JYP Entertainment and SM Entertainment, especially with SHINee, EXO, Red Velvet and more. He now owns his own company and plans to debut a girl group within the next few years. The students were able to ask questions and learn so much from Paul’s engaging and enriching lecture, from his thoughts on the music industry to how the students themselves could try to get a foot into the business. Thank you so much for your time Mr. Thompson!

The next day the navigators, joined by their SEOULMATES, got the opportunity to visit the HYBE Insight museum and take a two-hour tour of what the museum had to offer. Inside the museum the students were able to read and learn about their favorite HYBE artists, like BTS, Seventeen, TXT and more! They got to see exclusive footage and items used by the artists and afterward were able to purchase merchandise in the museum gift shop, some purchases coming with a photo card of their biases! Continuing the day at Coex Mall, the navigators split into groups with the SEOULMATES and ate dinner and did a bit of shopping before it was time to end the day.

On Friday, the students got to present their final projects which they’d all been working so hard on. Everyone enjoyed each others music videos and much laughter and compliments were shared. Everyone then had time to pack, rest, and do some last minute souvenir shopping before it was time for the farewell dinner. At the dinner the students ate a plethora of dishes as well as cake bought for them from our very own CIEE staff! At the end of dinner the students all gathered outside the restaurant to say their farewells and exchange social medias before heading back to the hotel to end the night.

It’s been a fun-filled and packed three weeks in the k-pop immersion program and we hope that all the students enjoyed their time and made lasting memories and friendships!