Admission: 2006 Spring ITTP Ph.D Program

Affiliation: CAREC Institute, China

Position : KM specialist

“Not only the ITTP students, but their family members have also benefited a lot in many ways.”

Greetings. My full name is Tumurpurev Dulambazar and I am from Mongolia, even though many ITTP member know me well. My friends in ITTP call me “Tumuruu shi” or “Tumur ajashi” in Korean, because I was older than any other thirteen firstcomer students in ITTP, or first bach and Tahir Hameed from Pakistan and I , on that first time were only two students for PhD program, were senior students, and I was at age of fourthy two when I started to study in Korea.

I remember a beautiful winter season in Daejeon city of Korea, February 2006 when I firstly came to Korea. Mongolian winter time is as usual very cold and more show, but Korean winter was seemed to me much warmer and mild or like autumn in Mongolia. When I came from Incheon airport by shuttle bus taking around only three hours, meets me very calm and beautiful city of Daejeon. I did not know where is my destianation, former Information and Communication University campus (now Munji campus of KAIST) but I had direction message from Professor Rho by email, thus, easily came to the place by taxi from Daejeon Government complex bus station. First met me a young Korean student girl in front of main building and confirmed me that I came at right place. I was so surprised when I saw how nice the university campus and said about my feelings to the student. She said jokingly ‘It looks like a big shopping mall rather than university buildings’. Yes it was really beautiful university campus, everythings were there and well organized and very clean. It was Sunday, I rarely saw people around and not crowded, but I had information message how to came to Huam dormitory by the university bus, so, came to final destination so easily. My roommate in the dormitory was Aagii (Altangerel Byuankhuu), another Mongolian ITTP master student, he came 2 days before me. Next day, we firstly met our Prof. Rho and Ms. Hwang and from that time started my life in the ITTP family like all 13 firstcomers of ITTP students.

We all ITTP students are gathered, we became friends, became same students among thousands of other university postgraduate and bachelor students in the University. For me it was very nice moment of life to start again in another very interesting life of studentship after quite many years when I was graduated from university in Russia, as well as for MBA study in Mongolia.

Initially, our study in the one of renowned university of Korea, ITTP cources were quite challenging for me, and maybe for all of us, disciplines and cources were very tough, especially cources like Digital communication, Economics of IT industry and telecommuncation, or Natural language processing, in such where deep knowledge in mathematics or physics was much needed. I have spent full five years of intensive study to award Doctorate degree and got it finally in February 2011 as one of first PhD graduates at ITTP. Remember how it was nice the graduation ceremony at KAIST’s biggest sport complex building and I am very proud of it.

Since February 2006, ITTP has built really successful global network of IT professional and leaders around the world. Our distinguished professor and first director of ITTP, Dr. Rho Jae Jeung, said us that ‘Now we ITTP are small UN’, which is almost true. I am very thankful that the Republic of Korea is one of leading country in the world in the IT industry, especially in front leading field of IoT, AI, 5G or 6G telecommunications and many other high technologies. We have learned a lot from these knowledge and expertise of Korea. Our Global IT Technology program at KAIST offered these theremendous opportinties to all of us, like me ITTP fellows, and currently 228 of IT related public and government officials from 70 different countries have educated in the program.

We express our sincere gratitute to the Government of Republic of Korea, KAIST university, and our ITTP Directors, Professors and staffs.

Besides the tough ICT engineering and ICT management classes for obtaining high level of education and expertise, we learnt very well about Korea, through Korean language cources, Korean culture classes, Taekwando and many other social activities. Our studentship in Korea among ITTP family were really nice period of life with beautiful memories. I can not cover all these beautiful memories at one time.

Not only the ITTP students, but their family members have also benefited a lot in many ways.

For that occasion, maybe I am one of unique history person. When I first came to study in Korea, my daugther Javkhaa just was graduated high shool in Ulaanbaatar Mongolia, and my son was about one year to graduate his bachelor degree in IT and telecommunication in the University of Science and Technology of Mongolia.

I had just urged and encoured them to study very hard, as well as for intensive study Korean language to prepare study in Korea like their father. It was really happened and I proudly say that my son Jagdorj graduated KAIST with degree of MA in IT, and my daugther Javkhaa got bachelor degree from PaiChai university in specialty of tourism management.

After graduation, I came back to Mongolia, continued to work in the Telecommunications Regulatory Commission of Mongolia as senior specialist. I made my career development, served as Department head in Mongolian development institute, later in the Instititute for Strategic Studies under National Security council. From 2017 until now, I am working in the CAREC Institute, which is intergovernmental research and capacity building institute located in China, as a Senior knowledge management specialist.

After graduation , my son Jagdorj also started to work in famous organization in Mongolia which is PWC Mongolia branch (the PricewaterhouseCoopers), as IT auditor, and next his career was project implementation officer at IT Zone LLC, that is now a leading IT solution enterprise in Mongolia.

When my family came back to Mongolia, my daugther Javkhaa got a job in Korean Air company’s airticketing office in Ulaanbaatar, at its main office in Mongolia.

My wife Batjaa also very satisfied with living together in Korea, but all family members were students together. Actually she was also a “hagwon” student, and has participated in series of Korean language and culture classes together with other family members and wives of ITTP students. We always remember our lovely Professor Chun, that she is super active, and we have learnt a lot.

Now, I believe that many other alumni of ITTP all around the world have been successfully working in their respective countries’ governments, companies, or any international and national organizations and actively contributing for the development of their countries’ IT industry.

We never forget what ITTP did for us such valuable, important education, expertise and networking for all of us. I want to express my sincere gratitute to all ITTP Professors and staffs, and wish you all the best and happily commemorate the 16th anniversary of ITTP.

Yours sincerely,

Tumur