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네이버 공유 카카오 공유 트위터 공유 페이스북 공유

Boundless Enthusiasm to Learn Korean

The Fourth Korean Studies Workshop for Secondary School Teachers of Social Studies in Indonesia was held at Gadjah Mada University to enhance their understanding about Korea’s culture, society, and economy, so that they can more effectively present Korea-related information to their students.

Passion for Learning Korean
“Ga, geo, go, gu, geu, gi!” These sounds, which could be heard from a seminar room of the university administrative building, came from workshop participants with an with enthusiasm for learning the Korean language. Indeed, even the sweltering heat outside, over 38ºC, could not dampen their eagerness to learn about Korea. The 53 workshop participants earnestly practiced the pronunciation of Hangeul by following the instructions of a Korean language instructor. A few of the participants could properly pronounce the Korean letters without any help after just one hour of instruction, even though this was their first exposure to the Korean language.
With support from the Foundation, the Fourth Korean Studies Workshop for Secondary School Teachers of Social Studies in Indonesia (April 9-10) included the participation of teachers of high schools, from which students of the Department of Korean Language of Gadjah Mada University had graduated. Most of these high schools were located in the Java area, where the university is located, but a few participants came from as far away as 1,000 kilometers. One teacher was applauded when he told the group he was so determined to attend the workshop that he rode his motorcycle to get here, even though this involved a 400-kilometer journey. The students of the Department of Korean Language served as volunteer instructors to help the teachers learn the basics of Korean.

Korean Language Education in Indonesia
Since its establishment in 1996, the Center for Korean Studies of Gadjah Mada University has offered Korean language courses and contributed to a broadening of the interest in Korean. It also played a key role in the founding of the university’s Department of Korean Language, within the Faculty of Cultural Sciences in August 2007. This center has made steady efforts to enhance awareness and understanding of Korea by organizing Korean Studies workshop events, since 2004, to introduce Korea’s history, culture, economy, politics, and philosophy to Indonesian high school teachers, in cooperation with the Foundation.
Gadjah Mada University is the second institution of higher learning in Indonesia, along with the University of Indonesia, which maintains a Korean Language Department that offers a regular four-year course on the Korean language. As a national university situated in Jogjakarta on the island of Java, Gadjah Mada University is a prestigious university with the largest enrollment and academic program, and the longest history of almost 60 years. Jogjakarta is a center of Javanese culture as well as a university city, with dozens of nearby institutions. The establishment of the Department of Korean Language at Gadjah Mada University is having a positive impact on the promotion of Korean culture on campus and throughout Indonesia. The number of the students enrolled in the department, which opened last year, is 45, larger than that of the other departments of the Faculty of Cultural Sciences, at this time. The university had previously offered a three-year Korean language course, from 2003 to 2007 and a total of 27 students have completed the course thus far.



Korean Food-tasting Event
In his congratulatory remarks at the opening ceremony of the workshop, Dr. Sudjarwadi, Rector of Gadjah Mada University, called on the high school teachers to instruct their students that learning about Korea and developing friendly relations with Korea would be helpful for Indonesia. This thought embodied the ives of the workshop in an effective and concise manner.
The conclusion of the workshop was celebrated with a Korean food-tasting event, thanks to the efforts of the students of the Department of Korean Language, together with a demonstration of hanbok, Korea’s traditional attire. For me, the language barrier did not allow me to communicate easily with the participants; however, their facial s indicated that they were pleased with the workshop activities and appreciative of the efforts of the university and the Foundation. In this regard, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to everyone involved in the preparation of the workshop, including incumbent Director Ali and incoming Director Novi of the Center for Korean Studies, researcher Ratih, and Korean Language Department Instructor Suray, as well as the Korean Language Department students, who so passionately contributed to the workshop’s success, and all the participants, for their positive attitude.

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