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Promoting Korean Studies in Central and South America

It was an excellent decision to hold the first conference on Korean studies in Central and South America at the prestigious University of Buenos Aires in Argentina, a country that has the largest number of Korean studies scholars in the region. A Korean studies conference was proposed by the Foundation's delegation during their visit to four Central and South American countries last November. Director Pedro Krotsch of the Gino Germani Institute of Investigations at the University of Buenos Aires showed interest in the proposal, and finally the Institute and the Foundation co-organized the conference for October 2 and 3 this year. I was fortunate to have worked with Professor Carolina Mera of the University of Buenos Aires, who had just published the results of 10 years of research on Korean immigration to Argentina.

Before the main conference began on October 2, a small-scale seminar was held the day before in, which twelve graduate students from different universities in Argentina presented papers on Korea-related research. It was wonderful to see students from South American countries with such an interest in Korea.

Variety of Topics in Eight Sessions
First Korean Studies Conference in Central and South America held in University of Buenos Aires in Argentina, Oct. 2-3The Conference of Korean Studies in Latin America began on October 2 at 9 a.m. at the College of Law auditorium, with opening remarks by President Guillermo Jaim Etcheverry of the University of Buenos Aires to 150 professors and students from nearby universities. I think that the conference attracted such a large number of participants because of the monthly seminars held during the last six months to bring Korean issues to the attention of the local academic community. The two-day conference on Korean studies was composed of eight sessions. The topics covered on the first day of the conference included 'Culture: the Ethics, Religion and Society of Korea', 'Tradition, Art and Culture in Korea and Central and South America', 'Politics, Modernization and Democracy in Korea', and 'Intercultural Relations between Korea and Central and South America'. 'Controversy in the Korean Peninsula and the Role of China', 'Korea and its Role in the Asia-Pacific Region', 'Korea: Regional and Bilateral Relations', and 'Reflections on Korean Studies in Central and South America' rounded out the second day's activities.

A total of thirty Central and South American scholars of Korean studies or related fields presented papers at the conference. Koreanists were the first to present their papers, while those on the second day were experts on such Asian countries as China and Japan, presenting papers with a focus on Korea. Although some scholars' presentations failed to reflect the current situation in Korea and only provided general information, most of the scholars were relatively well aware of Korea's status in relation to their respective fields.

The Foundation was especially interested in the last session, which was on the current status of Korean studies in Central and South America, but the session did not provide any new information or ideas on the development of Korean studies in the region. This is probably because there is no university in Central or South America that offers a regular Korean studies program. The presentation clearly showed that Central and South America is still relatively barren of Korean studies. It was very encouraging, however, that the participants talked about the need to continue to hold a Korean studies conference and establish a Central and South American association of Korean studies. They agreed to hold the second conference in Mexico in 2005. The organization of a Korean studies association could not be finalized because of a shortage of time. I agreed that there is a need to build a network of Korean studies scholars in the region but I was not sure that an association was a must. I joined other participants in deciding to discuss the matter again at the Mexico conference. Even without an association, participants will still be able to exchange ideas and information with each other.

Not Yet Ready for Korean Studies Programs
The conference made me realize that it is too early to offer Korean studies or language courses in Central and South America. Instead, we may first consider organizing Korea-related events, such as special lectures and seminars, to attract the interest of professors and students in Korea, and then conduct programs more directly related to the promotion of Korean studies. The establishment of a Korean studies center may be one way to achieve such ives. At the same time, the provision of opportunities to visit Korea will be more effective than any other way in increasing interest in and understanding about Korea among Central and South American scholars and students. I think that it is necessary to provide Central and South American scholars with more chances to visit Korea for their research under the Foundation's invitation and fellowship programs.

Another issue that needs to be addressed urgently is the availability of books and reference materials on Korea in Central and South America. The region must be provided with intensive support for these materials. As most references available for the Foundation's distribution programs are in Korean and English, it is necessary to make more efforts to search for and to distribute materials in Spanish. There must be more emphasis put on the translation and publishing of Korean studies materials with the assistance of Spanish majors in Korea or Koreans living in Central and South America.

It may take five or ten years for favorable conditions to develop for Korean studies in Central and
South America. I think that we first need to dispatch visiting professors to the region to offer Korea-related courses and provide support to Central and South American students for their graduate studies in Korea. Ultimately, they should be able to teach Korean studies in their own countries. Another ten years may be needed to achieve such an ive because scholars are not nurtured in a year or two. It will take at least twenty years for Korean studies to take root in Central and South America. I strongly believe that Korean studies will be firmly established in twenty years if we set up a long-term plan and carry it out step by step.

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