International Affairs refers to trends in economics, culture, society, and other areas occurring globally.
Additionally, International Relations is a field of political science that deals with diplomacy between countries and global issues.
In fact, the point at which domestic universities began teaching International Relations is not long ago.
Therefore, some people perceive International Relations as a relatively unfamiliar field of study.
With the activation of public transportation and infrastructure, globalization of goods and services began to occur rapidly from the 20th century onwards.
Such globalization has lowered barriers between countries, causing events within one country to affect the economy and society of other countries. This has led to the advent of the Global Village.
Overall, international affairs and the study of International Relations are closely connected.
Moreover, understanding the movements of the international community and analyzing relationships between countries holds significant importance in contemporary society.
This importance can be described in three ways.
First, the economy of a country is inevitably influenced by the global economy. A typical example is South Korea. Our country is known for its high dependency on trade.
Therefore, major events in other countries can significantly impact the South Korean economy. For instance, the war in Ukraine is currently severely disrupting the smooth export and import in our trade markets.
As a result, domestic prices, including oil, are on the rise. Even for countries with low trade dependency, their economies are still heavily influenced by the global economy due to various other factors.
The occurrence and severity of inflation in the United States, which is the cornerstone of the world economy, can be a representative example.
Second, countries can promote development by closely analyzing international affairs.
By closely monitoring changes in global society and culture, countries can target niche markets or reflect trends in domestic industries.
A representative example is McDonald’s. McDonald’s can be found in many countries worldwide, and its corporate value and revenue are comparable to any other company.
With McDonald’s outlets established in various countries, the Big Mac Index was also born.
The Big Mac Index compares the relative price levels and currency values of countries based on the price of a Big Mac, a McDonald’s product.
In this way, countries can foster better development based on analysis of international trends.
Third, individuals can broaden their horizons and develop critical thinking skills through the study of International Relations.
International Relations covers various fields such as international politics, society, law, and diplomacy. Therefore, it provides individuals with the opportunity to access a wide range of disciplines.
Additionally, studying this field means acquiring comprehensive knowledge and developing critical thinking skills by analyzing commonalities and differences.
Ultimately, individuals can gain broad perspectives and insights through case studies on various aspects of international relations.
As described above, in the current era of rapid and pervasive globalization, events within each country affect each other, and the global economy, culture, and society exhibit complementary characteristics.
Furthermore, we directly feel the influence of international affairs and relations in our daily lives.
Therefore, understanding international affairs and analyzing international relations can be considered more important than ever.