메인메뉴 바로가기본문으로 바로가기
네이버 공유 카카오 공유 트위터 공유 페이스북 공유

Major Programs for 2005

The Korea Foundation is diversifying its target groups and regions, while placing more emphasis on programs other than Korean Studies Support.

Korean Studies Support Department
studies@kf.or.kr

In the past, Korean language studies abroad seemed to be focused on teaching the children of Koreans their mother tongue to help them maintain their Korean identity. But recent media reports suggest that an increasing number of non-Koreans are also choosing to study Korean as a foreign language to gain a better understanding of Korean culture and society. This new level of interest in learning Korean appears to be related to a growing international interest in Korean popular culture.

Promotion of Korean Language Education Overseas
The demand for Korean language education in Asian countries, especially in Japan and China, is not only growing at the university and high school levels - it's also spreading to broadcast programs and private language institutes. There is a need for action on many fronts to effectively satisfy the demand, and furthermore to help Korean language programs foster a deep interest in and understanding of Korean culture and society. First of all, it is necessary to develop new teaching methods and textbooks in consideration of the target countries' languages, cultures and societies, as well as the varying educational backgrounds of the students seeking to develop better Korean skills. At the same time, it is necessary to train local people as experts in teaching Korean as a foreign language, and to expand Korean language training programs for teachers and students. Furthermore, to motivate students in the long term, it is necessary to show how Korean proficiency will improve their job prospects.
As the only organization in Korea that supports overseas Korean language programs at regular educational institutions, the Foundation needs to play a central role in laying firm ground for Korean language education in various regions and countries. We will need to mobilize the resources of numerous experts and institutions, and will require considerable planning and funds. Regionally, programs for Asia and the Commonwealth of Independent States are expected to expand, as these areas are known to have a large number of Korean language learners.

Korean Studies Support Program to Be Regionally Differentiated
The field of Korean Studies seems to have a solid foothold in North America, where a dozen or so universities play key roles in developing programs and training the next generation of Korea specialists. Now the Foundation must nourish Korean Studies programs in North America so they can reach the same pro-minence as Chinese studies and Japanese studies.
In Europe, the Bologna Process is under way as Europeans strive to integrate their different systems of higher education, and considerable changes in Korean Studies are expected to result. In addition, more people in North America and Europe are shifting the focus of their interest from the humanities to the social sciences. Therefore, the Korean Studies Support Program faces another challenge: the need to secure outstanding young social scientists conducting in-depth research on a rapidly changing modern Korea.
In 2005, the Foundation will actively organize or support outreach events jointly with Korean Studies centers at major universities overseas, with the goal of making Korean society and culture known to local communities beyond the walls of universities. These events will include film festivals, performances, exhibitions and lectures for the general public. At the same time, the Foundation also plans to offer educational opportunities and curriculum guidance to primary and secondary schools, along with training programs for teachers at these levels.

Fellowship Program Department
fellow@kf.or.kr

While maintaining the current format of its fellowship programs, the Foundation will continue to develop the content and implementation of these programs in 2005.

Distinguished Visiting Scholar Program
As part of the Fellowship for Field Research Program, the Foundation plans to launch its Distinguished Visiting Scholar Program in 2005. Under agreements with Seoul National University, Yonsei University, Korea University, Ewha Womans University, Sogang University, Hanyang University, Kyung Hee University and Sookmyung Women's University, the Foundation and the eight universities' graduate schools of international studies will jointly invite prominent foreign scholars in the social sciences as visiting professors and provide support for their teaching activities and Korea-related research. The program is expected to meet the universities' demand for visiting professors while at the same time satisfying the Foundation's goals of promoting exchange and research in social sciences. The Foundation may decide to expand the program depending on the outcome.

Officials to Receive Korean Language Training
This fellowship, which was in the past usually awarded to academics, will also be made available to government employees who need to be proficient in Korean, such as diplomats and trade officials. Officials will be invited on an annual basis to take part in a one-year program at Kyung Hee University's Institute of International Education. The program will include not only Korean language classes but also lectures related to Korean society and culture. Fourteen diplomats from Thailand, Singapore, Vietnam, Indonesia, Myanmar, Cambodia, the Philippines and Laos will participate in 2005. The Foundation hopes eventually to be able to expand the program to cultural and other sectors.

Fellowship for Graduate Studies
The Foundation will continue to expand the Fellowship for Graduate Studies Program to make funding available to students at universities playing a central role in laying the foundations for Korean Studies overseas. In 2005, five universities and institutes in China will be added to this list, including Yanbian University, the Central University for Nationalities and the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.

Grant for Research and Publication
The Foundation will continue to provide support to senior-level scholars for their writing and publishing activities and for development of textbooks. Especially in 2005, the Foundation plans to provide support for the publishing of a Korean history book for a general readership, as opposed to a textbook only for college students and professionals. The resulting work is expected to serve as an introductory guide to Korean history.

Intellectual Exchange Department
intellectual@kf.or.kr

Personnel exchange programs are a long-term investment in the development of a solid international network of experts in various fields. Although the Foundation has invited about 2,000 guests to Korea since 1992, either directly or by providing support for programs administered by other organizations, there is room to improve our programs. To build an effective network, we must proceed more systematically in 2005 and take care to follow up with participants after they return home.

Planning for the Long Term
In consideration of the special circumstances in each region and sector we work with, the Foundation will adopt a proactive approach to make our programs more effective. We want to tailor our programs to the needs of each group of invitees and be more active in recruiting and selecting the best people to participate. To this end, we will have to draw up innovative new plans that consider invitees' needs according to the regions and sectors they represent.

Regional Cooperation
The Intellectual Exchange Department will seek out and invite leaders from abroad in the realms of politics, academia, arts and media who will return to their home countries with a better understanding and appreciation of Korea. To carry out our mandate more efficiently, the department is now focusing on Asia, the Middle East, and Central and South America, whose increasing importance in the international arena has d an urgent need for mutual understanding and exchanges with Korea. As in 2004, young leaders and promising young professionals from Southeast Asia, the Commonwealth of Independent States, and Central and South America will be invited.
To complement its 10 standing forums, which constitute a vehicle for intellectual exchange among leaders in diverse fields, the department will initiate two forums in underrepresented regions: the Korea-Arab Women Leaders Forum and the Korea-Brazil Forum.

Database of Invitees and the Need for Follow-up
The Foundation will build a database of those invited to Korea by the Foundation and map out a plan to follow up on their visits. For a start, the Foundation will maintain cooperative ties with former invitees by providing assistance when they visit Korea again - for example, by helping to arrange their itineraries. Support will also be provided for the invitees' Korea-related activities in their home countries. This kind of follow-up support will also be provided to participants in the Foundation's other programs. This new approach is expected to bring about synergistic effects.
For 2005, the Foundation plans to: invite 50 prominent people to Korea as well as seven groups of young leaders and promising young professionals; dispatch 40 Koreans to overseas events; and organize four Korean Studies workshops for educators, 12 forums and 12 international conferences.

Cultural Exchange Department
cultural@kf.or.kr

The department will emphasize the need to maintain the high standards of Foundation programs and maximize their impact by : securing a Korean presence at large international events; working to increase awareness of Korean culture abroad and corresponding awareness of other cultures among Koreans; and supporting the establishment of Korean galleries at major museums overseas.

Year of Korea in Germany
Korea has been selected as Focus Country for Asia-Pacific Week 2005 in Berlin and Guest of Honor at the 2005 Frankfurt Book Fair. To make the most of the international attention, the Foundation plans to introduce works and performances from Korea representing various art forms. We will host an exhibition of relics from Goguryeo tombs and replicas of tomb murals, along with an exhibition on Korean contemporary art, and support an exhibition of early Korean printing, the rock musical "Line 1," performances by the Eun Me Ahn and A-Soon dance companies, and a Korean classical vocal music performance.

Korea-Japan Friendship Year
As part of Korea-Japan Friendship Year 2005, which celebrates the 40th anniversary of the normalization of diplomatic ties between Korea and Japan, the Foundation will organize and support various cultural programs both independently and in cooperation with the Japan Foundation. Such programs will include a performance by the Hwaum Chamber Orchestra in Japan; a dance performance featuring dancers from both countries; art exhibitions "Visions of the Body," "Cubism in Asia" and "AniMate"; and the Korea-Japan Children's Theater Festival.

Foreign Cultures to Be Introduced to Korea
The Foundation will continue to carry out programs to introduce foreign cultures to Korea in 2005. Considering that the Foundation's cultural exchange programs have emphasized the introduction of Korean culture to other countries, such efforts to expose Koreans to other cultures are expected to raise the Foundation's profile as Korea's representative international exchange organization.

Korean Galleries to Be Established at Overseas Museums
In accordance with our initiative to promote balanced support in terms of geographical region, the Foundation will assist in the establishment of Korean galleries at foreign museums in each region of major cultural importance. We will support or begin working-level discussions for the establishment of Korean galleries at the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of Natural History and Michigan State University in the United States, Russia's Peter the Great Museum of Anthropology and Ethnography, and the Indira Gandhi Center for the Arts in India. In addition, the Foundation plans to study the feasibility of setting up Korean galleries in Portugal, Uruguay and Sweden.

Publication and Media Department
publication@kf.or.kr

The Publication and Media Department will develop and implement various programs in 2005, in accordance with the Foundation's policy direction calling for regional diversification and emphasis on programs for the general public overseas.

Publication of Periodicals
In recognition of the emerging importance of Arab countries and Islamic culture in the world, the Foundation will publish and distribute an Arabic edition of Koreana beginning with its spring issue. The Arabic edition of the quarterly will be a valuable resource for people in the Middle East who want to learn about Korean arts and culture. Koreana is already published in English, Chinese, Spanish and French, and is the only specialized periodical on Korean arts and culture to be published in so many foreign languages. The new Arabic edition will draw many more readers and solidify Koreana's status as the voice of Korean culture in the world. In addition, the Foundation will distribute Korea Focus, the bimonthly on Korean current affairs, to more people within the Asian region, after having previously targeted Europe and North America.

Special Publication Program
The Foundation will continue to work on publishing a New Art History of Korea and a Bibliography of Doctoral Dissertations on Korea as part of its work to promote Korean Studies abroad. Jointly with the National Museum of Buyeo, the Foundation will publish this year an illustrated catalog and research papers on the Baekje Incense Burner, internationally acclaimed as one of the best metalcraft works from East Asia. The Foundation also plans to publish an easy-to-read Korean culture series for a general foreign readership. Books on the theme of seowon, private academies of the Joseon Dynasty, and Korean modern and contem-porary art will be published in the first half of this year; others on palaces, Buddhist temples, Buddha statues, maedeup (Korean traditional knotwork) and Korean customs will be published thereafter.

Media Program
Since 2004, the Foundation has emphasized the need to use the media to spread awareness of Korean culture, as Korean television dramas and aries have proved very effective in improving Korea's image and projecting a friendly view of the nation. The Foundation's Media Program has two main branches: production and broad-casting of aries on Korean culture, and broadcasting of Korean television dramas in other countries. Preparation for the Media Program started in the latter half of 2004, and it is expected to bear fruit in 2005.
aries - centered on themes, such as Korea's modern culture, daily life, customs and arts traditions will soon be aired from March 7 through March 13 on Arirang TV in Korea and abroad. Not only these aries, but also outstanding programs made by local broadcasting companies, will be dubbed in English, Chinese, Spanish, Arabic, Russian and French, and distributed overseas in DVD and VCD formats. In addition, in cooperation with KBS, the Foundation is working on the broadcasting of popular Korean television dramas Winter Sonata and Autumn Tale in five Central and South American countries in the first half of 2005. These programs helped generate the unprecedented international interest in Korean popular culture known as hallyu or the "Korean wave."

Distribution of Materials
The Foundation distributes books and audiovisual and multimedia materials, in Korean and other languages, to overseas universities, public libraries, research institutes and cultural organizations in an effort to spread awareness of Korea and promote Korean Studies. Beginning in 2005, the scope of our distribution programs will widen, as the Foundation will send out more introductory materials on Korea for the general non-Korean public.

SEARCH

통합검색

통합검색버튼
통합검색닫기

전체메뉴

전체메뉴 닫기