Krzic uses Peace Corps experience to foster better understanding of Korea’s modern-day development

Gerry Krzic, director of the Ohio Program of Intensive English (OPIE), never imagined the impact his time living in Korea would make on the rest of his life, but nearly 40 years later he continues to visit the East Asian region and leads an organization that helps the American public better understand the development of modern-day Korea.

Krzic is the president of Friends of Korea, an organization established to foster connections between people in the U.S. and Korea, and between Korean-American communities stateside.

Recently, Krzic accepted the national Peace Corps Association’s Loret Miller Ruppe Award for Outstanding Community Service on behalf of the Friends of Korea for a project he worked on with other organization members creating a “Study Guide to Accompany The Korean Transformation.”

“It takes a lot of people to help win an award like this,” Krzic said. “This award is a culmination of all the volunteer work everyone in our organization has done, as well as the passion this group brings to the third goal of the Peace Corps – to allow Americans to better understand other countries where volunteers served. The Friends of Korea act almost like an alumni group and our experience in Korea has impacted us to such a great extent that we want to come together to give back to both Korea and our country. We want to continue to advance the legacy of the Peace Corps and service stateside.”

The study guide serves as an easy-to-use manual for educators and workshop facilitators for teaching about the dramatic economic, social, and political development of Korea.

The Study Guide project began in 2008, on a revisit to Korea while gathering at the residence of the U.S. Ambassador to Korea. During the gathering, the volunteers developed a photo book, a photo exhibit that toured the U.S. and Korea, and a DVD about Korea and the dramatic transformation of the country from one of the world’s poorest countries, devastated by war and with few natural resources, into an economic powerhouse and global leader with a commitment to helping other countries facing development challenges.

“The volunteers were invited to the Ambassador’s house to reminisce and while there shared photos from their experiences in Korea from 1966 to 1981, placing them on the wall for everyone to see,” Krzic explained. “While looking at all those photos together, the idea to create the book, the exhibit and the DVD emerged. We wanted to teach the youth in America and Korea about the changes that have happened in Korea. Then in 2016, we decided it wasn’t enough and we wanted to pay it forward even more through creating this more comprehensive study guide.”

The guide also includes “extension” activities for students to better understand the diversity in their local community, the Peace Corps and community service, and transformative learning — all of which lend themselves to the development of group spirit, cooperation, and the inclination to serve. The guide also helps Friends of Korea to stay connected with the country where they served by spreading one unique story in particular: Korea is the first Peace Corps partner country in the world to launch its own government-funded overseas volunteer service corps, “World Friends Korea.”

“When I first got involved in Friends of Korea, I thought it would be more like a reunion with people reminiscing about their experience, but it was much more than that,” Krzic said. “It was people wanting to be actively involved and give back to America and the foundation of that giving was from their experience in Korea.”

Over the years, the Korean government has sponsored revisits for return volunteers from the Peace Corp, allowing them to participate in activities centered around Korean culture and to learn about present-day culture. They provide an opportunity for volunteers to return to their old Peace Corps sites such as health clinics and schools.

“It was surprisingly emotional going back and especially when visiting the old school I taught English at,” Krzic said. “All those memories flooded over me, from the amazing colleagues I worked with who have since passed, to my former students who are now teachers at the same school. Visiting that old site and talking with everyone brought up pivotal experiences that I often forget about. It was such a good experience and really let me see how the country has changed since the last time I’d been there.”

The National Peace Corps Association presents three awards annually to honor work inspired by and connected to the Peace Corps community, with one being the Loret Miller Ruppe Award for Outstanding Community Service. The award, named after the widely admired tenth director of the Peace Corps, is presented by NPCA to outstanding affiliate groups for projects that promote the Third Goal of Peace Corps or continue to serve host countries, build group spirit and cooperation, and promote service. Eligible projects include those completed within the past two years or ongoing for at least three years. The award recognizes the work that NPCA’s groups are doing to uphold the values of the organization and to generate ideas that other groups may emulate in their communities.

Due to COVID, this year’s revisit to Korea could not go on as scheduled, however, the Korean government decided to send 500 COVID care kits to return volunteers that included gifts from Korean culture.

“The Peace Corps has taught me many life lessons, including the value of empathy and the importance of creating relationships with others unlike you,” Krzic said. “It’s all about bringing people together and has led me to instilling these ideas into the programs I lead here at OHIO.”

Along with his work with OPIE, Krzic directs special programs that bring international students in contact with Americans. One group he particularly enjoys working with is Chubu University in Japan, an Ohio University strategic partner. He has helped work with students visiting from Chubu University, helping acclimate them to life in America, academia and bringing them together with other OHIO students to have conversations about their respective cultures and serve in local community agencies and schools. Krzic adds that by bringing international students together with domestic students in a fun and educational way allows for all students to learn from each other and gain a better understanding of the world. It’s like having Peace Corps right here in Athens.