2025 Unification Media Group (UMG)
Host Organization: Unification Media Group
Website: https://www.uni-media.net/?lang=en
Organization Profile: Unification Media Group (UMG) is a Seoul-based NGO that advocates for freedom of information for the people of North Korea. This includes our daily radio broadcast produced and broadcast specifically for North Korean audiences to inform listeners about international news, North Korean local news, and civic education in a manner tailored to their specific needs and interests. UMG is part of a consortium with Daily NK, a North Korea-specialty news site with a focus on the stories that impact ordinary North Koreans. UMG and Daily NK work in tandem to provide the international community with greater insight into North Korea, help North Koreans in turn become more informed about the outside world, and create a brighter future for the Korean Peninsula.
City: Seoul
Internship format: In-person
Internship Department: Overseas Outreach
Department Description: Sub-unit of administrative department, responsible for managing reports to international donors and funding organizations, advocacy (international conferences, mass media promotion, etc.), and accessibility (translation, curation of English-language online presence).
Role Tittle: Outreach intern
Project description: As part of Overseas Outreach, the intern will help promote Unification Media Group and Daily NK’s work to international audiences by assisting with brainstorming outreach strategies, drafting promotional materials (incl. original writing and analysis), and translating key reports and articles to make them accessible to broader audiences. Much of our support comes from overseas, but as a Korean NGO, it can be hard to connect with donors to discuss our exciting work and explore new collaboration opportunities.
In turn, we hope to help aspiring North Korea scholars break into the field, make new connections inside Korea, and have a chance to apply their skills to one-of-a-kind challenges through the chance to develop and tackle a “personal project” with support and input from UMG. Previous interns have helped research and put together an exhibition of North Korean media devices, created promotional materials that were distributed to members of Congress, written and illustrated a storybook about North Korean human rights, self-produced a “vlog” series about life in Seoul, and appeared on UMG’s radio broadcasts. Other possibilities include hosting a human rights-related movie screening for expats in Seoul, writing articles and analysis for Daily NK or other publications, organizing a hackathon or technical challenge to tackle North Korea's unique tech challenges, and contributing a special segment to UMG’s radio program or YouTube channel, etc. The project will be decided based on the intern’s individual skill set, Korean language abilities, and interests.
Number of Opening(s): 1
Work Hours and Internship Start/End Dates: (Monday to Friday, June 16 – August 8, 2025): Full Time 10:00 - 17:00, Mon - Fri (35 hrs/week)
Work attire: Business Casual (recommend also bringing 1-2 formal outfits for staffing conferences, meetings with embassy personnel, etc.)
Local language: Korean
Local language level needed: Working Proficiency or Advanced Korean language skills (two-year or above level at Stanford). Office language is Korean.
Additional desired intern qualifications: Looking for students with an interest in North Korea, East Asian affairs, and/or human rights (esp. freedom of information). All majors welcome! Skills that would translate well to UMG’s activities might include video editing, statistical analysis and data visualization, Korean-English translation, website design, fundraising and advertising, digital security, and event planning.
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