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Forging Cultural Bonds and Unity for Malaysian Students in Korea

When the Look East Policy was introduced in Malaysia, the nation saw more Malaysian students going to Japan and Korea to pursue their tertiary education. As a result, the Persatuan Pelajar Malaysia Korea (PPMK) was established in 1984 to provide a community and a platform for Malaysian students in Korea to connect with one another. 

With the motto “Knowledge for Development”, PPMK strives to foster the spirit of unity among Malaysian students in Korea and to strengthen ties between Malaysian students and the local and foreign student bodies in Korea. 

MyHeart was fortunate to have spoken with Heavendran Thamil Selvan, a second-year Chemical and Biological Engineering student at Korea University. Heaven is a committee member of PPMK’s Academic & Career Bureau for 2023/24 and took the time to share some insights about PPMK’s achievements and activities over the years. 

More than just an ordinary student association 

PPMK has approximately 500 members across more than 10 Korean universities. The majority of the members are sponsored students, namely scholars under the Public Service Department (Jabatan Perkhidmatan Awam (JPA)), Majlis Amanah Rakyat (MARA), Korean Government Scholarship Program (KGSP), Yayasan Tenaga Nasional (YTN) and others such as Samsung, Hyundai and Kia. Regarding the committee members, PPMK has representatives from 10 universities, giving them more opportunities to support students in different universities. 

Seeing that most of its members are based in and around Seoul, PPMK has built a strong relationship with the Malaysian embassy and its officers. This leads to a lot of collaboration on events and projects for the students and with government officials who visit Seoul. 

PPMK also has a special fund called the PPMK Tabung Khas, which serves as a means to offer small loans to students facing emergencies, such as a family member’s death or illness. The Tabung Khas aims to provide support and alleviate the sudden financial burden to its members in times of dire emergencies. 

Uniting members through cultural and sporting events 

One of the big events organised by PPMK is their Hari Kebudayaan or Cultural Day, where they will have mini traditional games and activities such as ting ting, kolam drawing and ceper. Students will also wear traditional outfits and go on the local public transportation to showcase Malaysian culture. 

So, it’s kind of like the Keretapi Sarong event in Kuala Lumpur, but we do it in Seoul on a much smaller scale,” said Heaven. “And fun fact – I won the best-dressed award last year!” he added with a laugh. 

PPMK also runs sporting events, such as Larian MADANI and their Karnival Sukan Mahasiswa (KASUMA). KASUMA is organised twice a year during the Autumn and Spring semesters and includes sports like netball, handball, basketball, Frisbee, track and field events. 

We like to bond over sports – juniors and seniors get to mingle and learn from one another,” Heaven said. 

Supporting the students’ professional development 

PPMK also strives to provide opportunities and platforms for its members to develop their professional skills. For instance, they run the Simposium Kerjaya Mahasiswa (SIKMA), a career programme for graduating students to explore various career pathways from their alumni. SIKMA was also supported by TalentCorp under the MyHeart Young Global Leader (YGL) programme. MyHeart YGL is an empowerment and enhancement initiative for Malaysian students abroad who aspire to develop interpersonal and leadership skills to prepare for future career progression.  

Through SIKMA, the alumni share their experience with the Korean or Malaysian working cultures, which is a golden opportunity for the graduating students to learn more about transitioning from being a student to a working professional. They also work alongside companies to organise career workshops or fairs to support their student recruitment, such as a recent collaboration with Samsung.  

Expanding their connections via MyHeart  

Heavendran sees MyHeart as an opportunity for all Malaysians abroad to expand their network and connect with other Malaysians, either in Korea, neighbouring countries or even globally. This can allow them to tap into the wealth of experience and knowledge that other Malaysians have in different fields and bond over the shared love for Malaysian food and culture. 

After all, we are all Malaysians at heart, right?” 

To explore and connect with PPMK or other Malaysian associations abroad, join the MyHeart community today.  

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Dr Catheryn Lim

Who is Dr Catheryn Lim?

Currently a Senior Research Fellow at Matthew Wood group and Chair, Early-Mid Career Researchers Committee at Department of Paediatrics, University of Oxford. Received her Ph.D., Molecular Genetics and Biochemistry from UNSW Dr. Lim is now working on understanding disease mechanisms and developing genetic treatments for neuromuscular diseases. Two of these strategies are now at later stages of development where she is collaborating with industrial partners to optimise the strategies in preparation for first-in-human clinical trials.

Format of the sharing session

The participants for the session consisted of students and academicians coming from various biological and related sciences background.

During the session, Dr. Lim shared about her experience and journey in the research world and delved into the new developments being made in genetic treatments (specifically in neuromuscular diseases). She also shared some tips and advice on how to be active in the biotechnology research industry.

Outcome

The session has exposed 183 participants to new development in genetic treatments (specifically in neuromuscular diseases).

Dr Aid Fawzal

Who is Dr Aid Fawzal?

Experienced CFD Engineer with a demonstrated history of working in the automotive, energy and oil & gas industries. Strong professional background with a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Mechanical, Automotive and Manufacturing Engineering from Coventry University. Invented a constant number which is called the Fawzal Number (Fa) which is used to optimize supercar’s cooling system.

Format of the sharing session

Our participants consist of students from various engineering field and various level of studies, from bachelor’s degree to PhD.

During the session, Dr Aid shared with us the step-by-step process involved in designing a car using a simulation software where he explained why certain components are designed in such ways and the importance of each component. He also shared some tips to students who are planning to go into the automotive field.

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The session has benefited 284 participants with new knowledge and exposure to the automotive world and inspire our future engineers to pursue and improve our automotive industry.

Samantha Chong

In 2022, we collaborated with KL City Opera and organised a masterclass with Samantha Chong, a Malaysian mezzo-soprano based in Hong Kong

Objective

To develop the performing arts scene in Malaysia via a collaboration with a leading name in classical Italian opera.

Format of the masterclass

The masterclass was held over 2 days, where 4 participants were selected to perform an aria or duet. Samantha then provided verbal and demonstrative feedback to each participant for 7-9 minutes each, which included song and scene interpretation, and stage presence.

Outcome

Samantha made a conscious effort to focus her sharing NOT on singing, but on the various aspects of performance, something that Malaysian performers lacked. So, MyCollabs acted as a medium for her to guide the students in navigating the world of classical opera, including dealing with different stakeholders like conductors, music directors and repetiteurs.

The students, on the other hand, received a rare opportunity to undergo a masterclass conducted by a seasoned performer for free. They could then use the knowledge they gained to enhance their opera skills and hopefully, pursue a career as full-time professional opera singers, something which is a rarity in Asia.