KF뉴스레터-Enhancing China-Korea Academic Exchange

Enhancing China-Korea Academic Exchange

On the occasion of the 15th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Korea and China, the Yanbian University Center for Korean Studies hosted the 8th International Conference on Traditional Korean Culture on August 8-11, 2007, with support from the Korea Foundation. Featuring a theme of “Globalization and Traditional Korean Culture”, the conference included six sessions that were attended by some 150 scholars from China, Korea, and Japan, who presented a total of 122 papers.

Korean Studies in China
In recent years, the Foundation has extended support to the International Conference on Traditional Korean Culture that is annually presented at a prominent university in China. The success of this event, as one of the most authoritative venues for academic exchange in the field of Korean Studies, is readily evident from its growing attendance of distinguished scholars from China and Korea. The opening ceremony of this year's conference, chaired by Professor Jin Hu-xiong, Director of the Center for Korean Studies, Yanbian University, featured welcoming remarks by Yanbian University President Jin Bing-min, along with congratulatory messages by Korea Foundation President Yim Sung-joon and Korean Institute of Social Sciences Chairman Kim Jun-Yop.
In his congratulatory remarks, President Yim noted: “This conference, attended by Korean Studies scholars from Korea and China, is more significant than any other of the various events organized to commemorate the 15th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Korea and China.” He also added that the conference would serve as a timely occasion to discuss the status and achievements of Korean Studies in China, while expressing his expectations for the continued development of Korean Studies in China, based on enhanced understanding and exchange through the conference proceedings. He pledged that the Korea Foundation would continue to provide support in response to the efforts and activities of the conference participants.

Keynote Speakers
Keynote speeches were delivered by Yanbian University Professor Jin Kuanxiong, Peking University Professor Shen Dingchang, and Seoul National University Professor Woo HanYong. On the subject of “Research on Korean Literature in China after China’s Reform and Open-Door Policy,” Professor Jin Kuanxiong examined the development of the study of Korean literature during the periods of 1978 to 1992 and from 1992 to the present. Along with outlining the characteristics of recent study trends, such as an emergence of additional researchers, improvement of researchers' capability, and expansion of research subjects, he suggested a future direction for Korean literature studies. Especially, he pointed out that greater emphasis should be placed on the translation of Korean literature into Chinese, and comparative research of Chinese and Korean literature, rather than general research efforts.
In his address on the “Influence of the Korean Wave, or Hallyu, on China,” Pro-fessor Shen Dingchang of Peking University used specific examples and statistics to persuasively demonstrate the characteristics and influence of Hallyu, and the reasons for its popularity in China. He contended that the Korean Wave has d a boom in Korea-related research, which includes about 1,200 studies and 4,500 papers on Korean Studies subjects, which had been published since the opening of diplomatic relations between Korea and China in 1992.
Meanwhile, Professor Woo HanYong of Seoul National University, who addressed the subject of “Formation and Characteristics of Korean Literary Tradition,” noted that traditional culture involved not only the traces, records, and materials of a particular nation or state that had maintained its own cultural identity, but should also include meaningful, creative energy of the present, linking together the past and the future, which therefore contributes to increasing the variety and value of world cultures. Only then, he asserted, can traditional culture deserve to be a topic of discussion in the age of globalization. He inductively concluded that Korean literary traditions are based on human-oriented thought, feminine inclination, individual determination to overcome modernity and division, and “life thought.”
Paper Presentations
The keynote speeches were followed by paper presentation and discussion sessions. At the session on history and culture, paper presentations included Nanjing University Professor Liu Yingsheng on “Kim Bu-sik’s Travel Route to Song China,” University of Seoul Professor Chung Jae-jeong on “Imperial Japan’s Railroad Bureaucrats and Policy of the Korea-Manchuria Railroad,” and Yanbian University Professor Jin Chenggao on “Leading and Exemplary Role of the Korean People in Anti-Japanese Resistance Movement in Northeast Asia.”
Papers presented on the subjects of society and economy included “Education of Korean Residents in Manchukuo (State of Manchuria) Based on Oral Sources” by Yanbian University Professor Piao Jinhai, “Analysis of Suicide in Korean Society and Suggestions” by Seoul Women’s University Professor Ha Sang-hun, and “Thoughts on Relations between the South Korean Government and Conglomerates” by Lianoning University Professor Zhang Dongming.
Papers from the session on politics and international relations included “Challenge of the Six-Party Talks and Northeast Asian Cooperation” by Fudan University Professor Shi Yuanhua, “Ways to Build Inter-Korean Military Trust: Focusing on General-Level Military Talks” by Korea National Defense University Professor Do Jai-sook, and “Korea and Regional Cooperation in Northeast Asia” by Yanbian University Professor Jin Xianghai.
The session on philosophy and religion featured 15 papers, including “Ontological Understanding of the Universe and Devel-opment of Mathematical Culture” by Aca-demy of Korean Studies Professor Lee Seo-Hyeng, “Comparative Research on Thoughts of Human Nature by Jang Jae and Seo Gyeong-deok” by Yanbian Uni-versity professors Jin Zezhu and Wang Jinfu, and “Neo-Confucian Thought of Dongchundang” by Fudan University Pro-fessor Hong Jun.
During the session on language and education, Seoul National University Professor Lee Sangoak presented a paper on “Past and Present of Passive in the Korean Language,” along with Yanbian University Professor Jin Yongshou on “A Study of Understanding and Translation of Chinese Reflected in Gugyeol,” and Dalian University of Foreign Languages Professor Jin Long on “Corresponding Relationship between Dae and Daehayeo.”
In addition, the session on literature and art featured such papers as “Gando (Jiandao) Depicted in Novels in the Japanese Colo-nial Rule Period” by Ajou University Pro-fesor Song Hyun Ho, “Images of Guan Yu in the Eyes of Envoys from Joseon to Ching China” by Yanbian University Professor Xu Dongri, and “Koreans’ Perceptions of the Japanese in Park Kyong-ni’s Novel Land” by Luoyang PLA University of Foreign Languages Professor Jin Yingjin.
During the discussion session, Korea University Professor Youn Sa-soon pointed out that the conference dealt with issues which had not been addressed by the academic circles of Korea, while the papers by Chinese scholars were comparable to those by Korean scholars. The participants wound up the conference by promising to meet again at next year’s conference that is being held at Zhejiang University, in Hangzhou, the wonderful city in the southern region of China.

“This conference, attended by Korean Studies scholars from Korea and China, is more significant than any other
of the various events organized to commemorate the 15th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Korea and China, and the 2007 China-Korea Exchange Year.”

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Enhancing China-Korea Academic Exchange

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