In January of this year I was awarded the Korea Australia Foundation 2015 Fellowship and was invited to spend a month interning for the Korea Herald. What an opportunity! I had only ever worked in small local papers, and here I was going to a foreign country to work at a national newspaper. I was totally relaxed until I reached the boarding lounge at the airport. A strange wave of excitement and nervousness washed over me. I had no idea what to expect from Korea. I knew about K-pop, North Korea, and generally where it is on a map. I am now convinced that the only way to even start to get to know Korea is to experience it.

From an Australian's point of view however there is one week in particular out of the five I spent there that stood out for me. The week of the Asian Cup final.

Seoul was abuzz with anticipation for the final and at the weeks' start I was already starting to think about where I would watch the match.

I settled on a small sports bar in Hongdae and it became evident quite quickly that I was the only person in the venue supporting Australia. I was chanting "Hoju! Hoju!" (Australia! Australia!) - Heads started to turn with raised eyebrows. I wasn't sure if I was offending anyone so I quietened a little bit.

I'd only spent two minutes in my self-conscious silence before a hand came to rest on my shoulder. One of the Korean fans asked me to join them at their table and I graciously obliged. By half-time we were all collegially rustling each other's hair and filling each other's soju glasses.

Australia won the game, granting me the final laugh and we all adjusted our hair, shook hands and spent the rest of the night celebrating – a true testament to their sportsmanship.

I can't help but think how much sport could be used to bridge gaps in our international knowledge. The final garnered innumerably more articles in the Australian press about Australia and Korea than the momentous free trade agreement did only a month earlier.

In the same week of the final, while I was editing the world section of the Korea Herald, I saw numerous mentions of Australia and our affairs, but I couldn't remember coverage of the same degree in Australia on Korean affairs.

Since returning to Australia I have conducted a comprehensive study of Australian news coverage in relation to Korea as our international relationship strengthens and I hope to publish my findings soon.

My time working for the Korea Herald and the chance to work on the culture pages of a foreign culture - more than just purely enhancing my news skills -showed me that Asia is a far more unique collective of nations than we give any of them credit for. Seoul is the most incredible city I have ever experienced, and while stereotypes about kangaroos and reptiles persist, I couldn't help but feel that as our two nations clashed on the soccer pitch, it was the Korean fans who had a far greater understanding of the opponents' populace.

When Australians talk about modern Asia, they think of Tokyo, or Beijing. Yet herein lies a problem, Asia is such a diverse collective and Korea is one of its brightest and most unique beacons.

Australia has so much to gain from better understanding Korea. There is an untapped wealth of culture that is just begging for Australian awareness.

There is no doubt that the opportunity to gain this perspective, and this experience is one that has already defined my career and my world-view. My experiences outside work were just as enlightening as those in the office. I see the media in a very different way to that when I sat in the departure terminal in mid-January and I'm all the better for it. I'll defintiely be back in Seoul soon.

• Elliot Brennan's blog
• Elliot Brennan's two-minute video
• Story: AKF interns blog and by-line their way through Korea