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네이버 공유 카카오 공유 트위터 공유 페이스북 공유

Lasting Appreciation of the Korea Foundation

It was in 1992, the year of the Korea Foundation’s establishment, when Korea and China established formal diplomatic relations. In that year, seven Chinese scholars received support from the Foundation’s fellowship program. As of this year, the aggregate number of Chinese scholars and students who had participated in the Foundation’s various fellowship programs stood at almost 400. As is the case with Korea Foundation fellows from other countries, most of the fellows from China now oversee the Korean language programs at various universities or serve as Korea-related research specialists who are at the forefront of promoting Korean language education and Korean Studies activities.


The number of universities in China offering Korean language programs to non-Korean students was a mere three in 1992, when the two countries opened diplomatic relations. Today, however, the number of universities with four-year regular degree programs for Korean language and literature is about 40, representing a remarkable growth that could hardly be matched by any other country in the world.
And in fact, the former Korea Foundation fellows have played a key role and contributed immensely to this dramatic advancement of Korean Studies in China. These fellows, however, will modestly attribute this development to the Korea Foundation and its support programs. They say that they were provided with an opportunity, as Foundation fellows, to visit Korea, learn the intricacies of Korean from native linguists, gather reference materials, and meet with various scholars in Korea. Then, upon returning home, they were better able to teach standard Korean to their students, in addition to actively engaging in academic exchange with their Korean contacts, and thereby promote Korean Studies in China, in qualitative as well as quantitative aspects.
Korea Foundation fellows in the Beijing area, amounting to about 150, organized an alumni association in December 2005 to facilitate personal relations and academic interaction, along with sharing their common experiences with the Foundation. They held another meeting in 2006, and more recently got together to reinforce their friendships and share information on the occasion of Foundation President Yim Sung-joon’s visit to Beijing. In fact, they had planned to conduct Korean Studies activities, including academic conferences, but then experienced various difficulties in organizing such events, due to a wide diversity of their academic interests and backgrounds. However, simply getting together from time to time is enough for them to reminisce about the rewarding experiences of their time spent in Korea, and gain motivation for their continued efforts to undertake Korea-related research and instructional endeavors.
Similarly, a gathering of Korea Foundation fellows was also held in Shanghai, while the fellows in other cities will often get together whenever I visit there. Of note, the Korea Foundation fellows in Shenyang, Chingdao, and Tianjin were invited to cultural performance events in May and July of this year, which were hosted by the Foundation. The fellows invariably inquire about the Foundation staff members who were assigned to the fellowship programs during their fellowship periods.
Some still recall how Foundation staff had accompanied them on the first visit to their host university, and others remembered that Foundation members would take them to lunch when they visited the Foundation office, without any prior arrangement. Even rather trivial matters are not forgotten. Above all, they maintain fond memories of the kindness of Foundation staff, who were attentive to their every concern in this strange land of Korea. For me, and others at the Foundation, this shows just how important personal relations can be in our everyday work.
In line with the rapid development of Sino-Korean relations, the number of scholars and students, who are conducting research on Korea and learning the Korean language, has increased sharply as well. It is thus regretful that expansion of the Foundation’s program support has not kept pace with this growing demand. All the fellows I meet would say, part seriously and part jokingly, that being selected as a Foundation fellow is like “catching a star in the sky,” because a person’s advancement in the Korean Studies sector of China is so highly dependent on this kind of an opportunity. As for the Beijing Office, as well as myself, I look forward to adequate Foundation support being extended to more scholars and students in China, who have proven to be so truly deserving of this assistance.

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