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네이버 공유 카카오 공유 트위터 공유 페이스북 공유

Excited, Surprised, and Touched

Dr. Monika Auweter-Kurtz, President of the University of Hamburg, Germany, visited Korea as a guest of the Korea Foundation (October 2-9). Along with offering a more comprehensive range of courses than any other university in Germany, the Korean Studies program at the University of Hamburg constitutes a cornerstone of its Asia Africa Institute (AAI), which has recently been revamped. In addition, the university has been actively promoting exchanges with universities in Korea these days, making this visit of the University of Hamburg president all the more meaningful. During her stay in Korea, President Auweter-Kurtz visited relevant institutions and persons, along with touring various cultural and historic sites. The following is an interview of President Auweter-Kurtz about her thoughts and impressions of Korea.

Q: You are visiting Korea as a guest of the Korea Foundation. What is the main purpose of your visit?
A: First of all, I am not only the president of the University of Hamburg but also a professor who studies the field of plasma science (applying heat to a gas to a fourth state of matter) and has been in active contact with professors at KAIST for the past two decades. This includes a cooperative research project that is currently ongoing. So, I am interested in seeing the progress that the Korean side has achieved on this project.
And of course, I also wanted to learn more about Korean culture. The University of Hamburg has concluded exchange agreements with Korean universities. As president of the University of Hamburg, I would like to discuss the current status of the exchange activities and facilitate additional efforts. Previously, Professor Kim Kyu-hong of Seoul National University was assigned to Hamburg as a visiting professor, for a year, and in return my university dispatched a student to his laboratory. I want to get more information about student exchanges as well.

Q: I understand that this is your first visit to Korea. Had you thought about coming to visit Korea prior to this?
A: I have long wanted to visit Korea since I first made contact with KAIST professors about 20 years ago. Although I had been eager to visit, I did not have an appropriate chance or time to visit Korea. Finally, the invitation from the Korea Foundation offered me a wonderful opportunity, and I had an enjoyable time seeing and learning so many things about Korea. It was a great experience for me to present congratulatory remarks at the dedication ceremony for the newly completed Korean-German Industrial Park (KGIP), and to meet with the presidents of Korean universities on their campus to help expand the scope of exchanges. If I have another opportunity, I would visit again so that I could enjoy Korean culture in a more leisurely manner.
Q: What have been your impressions about Korea?
A: First and foremost, positive. Korea is a very much developed and advanced country. During my stay here, I visited several universities and came to know that there are many excellent academic institutions in Korea. The Korean people I met with were extremely friendly, and I felt they possessed an open mind and thoughts. Those experiences left a very strong impression on me, and I have been extremely pleased. I am very much interested in international exchange programs, cooperative projects in various fields, and joint research. Now that I know Korean professors also have much interest in these areas, I expect that we will be able to have more constructive exchanges.

Q: Did you have any expectations about your visit to Korea?
A: The first place I wanted to visit was KAIST, because I wanted to find out the progress of the cooperative project currently underway and to visit the research institutes at KAIST. I heard that the level of Korean universities was high, so this was a chance for me to confirm that. In addition, what I was most curious about was women’s universities in Korea. There is no university solely for women in Germany. So, I had high expectations about seeing Ewha Womans University. Ewha is a great university, as I expected. I met with the president of the university and we agreed to expand two-way exchanges. And it was Korean culture that I wanted to learn about more than anything else. There is indeed a significant difference in the culture of Korea and that of Germany. I visited the National Museum of Korea to learn more about Korean culture. It was regretful that I could spend only two hours or so at the museum because of my schedule. Although the museum tour was brief, it was indeed a meaningful experience.


Q: What is the current status of Korean Studies on the campus of the University of Hamburg?
A: The University of Hamburg is one of the two institutions of higher learning in Germany that offers courses on Korean Studies and culture. Located in a port city, my university is open and outward. Various international languages are taught at the University of Hamburg, and we maintain an independent Korean language department under our Asia Africa Institute. The backside of my business card is printed in Korean, which was possible because of the Department of Korean Language at the University of Hamburg.

Q: How would you describe German interest in Korean culture overall?
A: The interest in Asian culture has increased in Germany in recent years. Lately, the German people have shown a growing interest in Korea. The reasons for this include: first, Korea is an advanced country; second, Korea has emerged as an important partner of Germany in various industrial sectors; and third, many leading businesses of Germany have entered the Korean market. These three factors are behind Germany’s increasing interest in Korea.

Q: What are your plans and priorities for the future?
A: On the occasion of my visit, a research institute of KAIST and one at the University of Hamburg that I am in charge of concluded a cooperative agreement. I think this is a positive sign. I am interested in facilitating student exchanges and expanding joint research projects. As many universities here accepted my proposals with an open mind, I think I can expect good results in this regard in the near future. In addition, I have many plans to develop various kinds of exchange programs in which both parties can participate on a regular basis. Such programs might offer German and Korean students with an opportunity to study together in the same classroom, or to study in Germany for a year and then in Korea for another year.

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