In February 2009 eleven senior students in the Asian Institute’s Dr. David Chu Program for Asia-Pacific Studies, led by instructors Stephen Trott (University of Toronto), Kunhee Park (Seoul National University College of Medicine)and Rodney Haddow (University of Toronto), visited South Korea to take part in a ten-day learning experience that immersed them in Korean life and culture. This exposure provided an integral context for the theories and models that have been studied for the past three years. Funded by the Faculty of Arts and Science’s Student Experience Fund, the class of ASI400Y were hosted by leading Korean institutions such as Seoul National University (SNU), Ewha Womans University and Korea University, including a full-day conference with SNU’s Graduate School of Public Administration. Through lectures and discussions, they benefited from the insight of experts including former Senior Secretary for Foreign and Security Affairs Byung Kook Kim and former Senior Secretary for Social Policy Kim Yong Ik. This short, but intensive trip allowed the fourth-year students to learn about a diverse set of topics: economic development, social welfare, North-South relations and domestic Korean politics factored into the curriculum of the students while there.Through the help of Professor Ito Peng and the Asian Institute plus contributions from the Centre for the Study of Korea, these eleven students were also able to meet with think-tanks and civil society groups like the East Asia Institute and People’s Solidarity for Participatory Democracy. The ASI400Y class engaged in an extensive learning experience through their travel to Korea: not only did they explore the growing cosmopolitan city of Seoul, but they also observed and researched the changing rural landscape of the country. As representatives of the Asian Institute and the University of Toronto, these eleven students managed to successful liaise with leading activists, students, and professionals and expand on their knowledge of contemporary issues surrounding Korea and the Asia Pacific region. A presentation of their observations will be held at the Munk Centre and promoted in the Asia Pacific Reader.