Our Story
In the Spring of 2008, students at Yonsei Graduate School of International Studies (GSIS), a leader of international higher education in South Korea, published the first edition of NOVAsia. Initiated by graduate students and under the guidance of the former dean, Professor Lee Chung-min, NOVAsia was born from a desire to translate the work and expertise of GSIS students and professors into a public product.
Our content has covered every continent and spanned from unsettled historical issues to predicting the effects of AI and weapons systems into the future. While NOVAsia covers current crises and developments across the globe, our focus remains close to home in East Asia.
After thirty-one issues, the print magazine went online in order to reach a wider audience and to encourage deeper and more diverse engagement and dialogue.
NOVAsia now aims to be a platform for student voices in the conversation on global affairs.
Meet the Team
Foteini Giannopoulou
Editor-in-Chief & Editor-at-Large
Foteini is currently pursuing a Master in Global Economy and Strategy at Yonsei University’s GSIS, as a 2020 Korean Government Scholarship recipient from Greece. Being a “global citizen”, she has participated in various educational seminars, international conferences, and summer schools in Europe, Africa, and Asia. Foteini has previous professional experience in helping youth access opportunities in education, employment and intercultural understanding, while she has completed her internships at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Greece and the Hellenic Parliament. She is currently working with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Korea on digital public diplomacy and making policies and culture accessible to youth in online environments.
Shweta Ravi
Senior Editor
Junior Editor
Inna Christine Cabel has been writing and telling stories her whole life. After graduating with a degree in journalism, she now understands how stories can change the world. To further develop her journalistic skills and intuition, she is now pursuing a master’s degree in Global Studies at the Yonsei Graduate School of International Studies. Her interests include women’s rights, music and pop culture. She wishes she could eat the Filipino dish kare-kare every single day.
Junior Editor
Michael is a graduate student at Yonsei GSIS specialising in Global Affairs & Policy. Born in Australia, he has studied and worked across the U.S., Africa, and Asia. Michael studied journalism in his undergraduate degree and has accumulated professional experience across media, non-government sector, and academia. His areas of interest include International Security & Foreign Policy as well as East Asia Studies.
Junior Writer
Born in the Netherlands, Bastiaan has been living back and forth between Korea and the Netherlands. He is currently pursuing a MA degree in Korean Studies after finishing his BA in History and Korean Studies at Erasmus University and Leiden University respectively. Truly in-between and culturally fluent, Bastiaan has been working on bridging the gap between East and West by writing and talking about complex social issues in various contexts, such as the Korean Embassy in the Netherlands and the Korean Truth and Reconciliation Commission. His current areas of interest are the intersection of nationalism and citizenship in the Korean context but with a broad interdisciplinary background and a comparative mindset, he hopes to inspire critical thinking about all that feels too comfortable.
Media Producer
Erin is a graduate student at Yonsei GSIS currently pursuing her Masters in Global Affairs and Policy. Originally from New York, USA, her time spent studying and working in Hong Kong, China, and South Korea inspired her to pursue international relations as well as cultural exchange and understanding. She has experience working in the realms of media, education, and finance, and her background in humanities gives her an appreciation for understanding peoples’ lived experiences. Her areas of interest include international development and cooperation, particularly pertaining to gender, sustainability, and human migration.
Media Producer
Born and raised near Montreal Canada, Beckie is a graduate student pursuing Korean
Studies at Yonsei GSIS. Passionate about culture and cinema, she participated to various
video documentary projects and had the chance to attend workshops in France and the
Philippines. After a one-year exchange at Seoul National University in 2018-2019, Beckie
came back to Korea under the Global Korea Scholarship in 2021 to continue deepen her
knowledge in history, international relations and artistic productions. Adept of a
multidisciplinary approach, she intends to use her human sciences and arts background
to explore new subjects in a unique way.
Disclaimer: NOVAsia is funded through scholarship grants from the Graduate School of International Studies (GSIS) at Yonsei University. Beyond financial support, GSIS does not have any editorial influence over the content of this website. Unless explicitly stated otherwise, any opinions expressed on this website belong solely to the authors and do not represent the official position of GSIS, Yonsei University, or its affiliated institutions.