Have you ever heard about the royal books of Oegyujanggak? These books were stolen by French armies in 1886. After the era under the colonial administration of imperial Japan, Koreans had to get books. Thanks to many diplomats' efforts, we were able to retrieve the books from France. Then, what tasks do diplomats perform and what are the ways to be a diplomat?

▲ Diplomat`s work

A diplomat performs many tasks, not only holding negotiations to protect his or her own country's profit and policy but also renewing and issuing a passport for his or her fellow countrymen. A diplomat also collects and analyzes the political posture, economy, and trade information of the assigned country. Then, a diplomat protests about diplomatic issues. Also, a diplomat introduces his own country's policy, tradition, and culture. It is not the end of the tasks that a diplomat performs. A diplomat even registers birth and marriage for his fellow countrymen.

▲ majors and personalities to be a diplomat

Then, what major and personality should we have to be a diplomat? To be a diplomat, we should major in International Studies, Political Science and Diplomacy, Economics, French Language and Literature, German Language, and more. For a diplomat to perform tasks that include using a computer and working in sedentary, a diplomat needs stress tolerance capability. Also, as a diplomat works with many people and meets many people, a diplomat needs cooperation ability and sociability. Then, a diplomat represents his own country. Therefore, a diplomat should have a sense of responsibility.

Then, what examination should we pass to be a diplomat? First, we should pass PAST. PAST is an examination that tests applicants' capability of linguistic logic, interpretation of data, circumstantial judgment, history, English, foreign language, and more. If the applicant passes PAST, he should pass the essay examination about the science of international politics, international law, and economic law. If the applicant passes this test, too, he has to pass the last examination. The last examination is the interview. If the applicant passes all the tests, he or she can be a diplomat.

In an interview with Chanho Jun, Yenmok Kim, and Hyunjae Kim, they said that to be a diplomat, it is good to study a second foreign language and to go somewhere as an exchange student. Also, they said that studying Korean history will be good to be a diplomat. Also, they said that to study international politics, reading many books is the most important thing.

A diplomat is a job that represents one's country, and a diplomat works hard to gain more profit for the country. Also, a diplomat is one of the most important jobs that conduct the state's affairs. Do you want to be a diplomat?

By Yejun Park