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Chinese Association for Korean Language Education and Research

The Chinese Association for Korean Language Education and Research held its eighth annual conference, which included the active participation of leading Korean language educators in China, who discussed the status and outlook for Korean language education.

This year's annual conference of the Chinese Association for Korean Language Education and Research was attended by some 100 participants, which included 70 scholars from 25 Chinese universities, along with Korean language education specialists from Korea. The event served as a meaningful occasion for the participants to evaluate and discuss 43 paper presentations and related issues.
In his welcoming remarks during an opening ceremony, Luoyang University of Foreign Languages Vice President expressed his hope that the conference would serve as an opportunity for the scholars to acquire additional knowledge and upgrade their academic endeavors. Korea Foundation Beijing Office Director Song Jung-suk congratulated the participants on the remarkable expansion of Korean language education in China, along with pledging to support qualitative improvement efforts in the future. Professor Jong Ji-sang, Dean of Asian-African Studies Faculty, Luoyang University of Foreign Languages, also promised to contribute to the development of Korean language education in China, and wished for a fruitful and successful conference.



Korean Language Education
Chaired by Professor Kim Byeong-un, of the University of International Business and Economics, the general session featured Professor Jang Gwang-gun of Luoyang University of Foreign Languages and Professor Song Hyang-keun of Pusan University of Foreign Studies, as paper presenters, together with Professor Yun Yun-jin of Jilin University, Professor Kang Bo-yu of Fudan University, Professor Mun Yeong-ja of Yangzhou University, Professor Yeom Gwang-ho of Chingdao University, and Professor Ma Suk-hyang of Tianjin Foreign Studies University, as discussants.
Professor Jang Gwang-gun, in his paper titled "Current Status of the Education of Non-Universal Languages and Our Tasks," explained that China divides foreign languages into universal and non-universal, based on the number of users, scope of usage, and number of relevant departments at an institution. Currently, Korean is included in a group of non-universal languages, although it has been suggested that Korean be placed in a group of universal languages, since it exceeds other non-universal languages, in terms of the number of degree-related courses and textbook development. However, Professor Jang believes it would be desirable for Korean to remain in the non-universal category, for the time being, to lay the foundation for an independent department, since the Chinese government extends special assistance to promote the education of various non-universal languages.
Thereafter, Professor Song Hyang-keun presented an analysis of trends in cultural education and research of Korean language education, which found that culture was the most fundamental and essential element in language education, and that learning a foreign language should be combined with an understanding of the culture of the language's origin.
Professor Yeom Gwang-ho concurred with Professor Jang Gwang-gun's recommendation for active participation and exchange activities at academic gatherings for non-universal languages, including Korean. Professor Mun Yeong-ja focused on the development of Korean language education, in qualitative terms, along with suggesting the organization of a joint conference of departments of other non-universal languages.

Priority Tasks
The subject area presentations included four sessions on cultural education, vocabulary education, grammar and translation, and Korean literature and language instruction methods. This format, which was also utilized in the previous year, has helped to minimize the duplication of presentation themes and enable more comprehensive discussion of various matters. In particular, the newly introduced cultural education session was favorably assessed for the efforts to realize a closer linkage between language education and cultural understanding.
For the general discussion session, "Korean Language Education and Research " What Are Our Tasks?" on the final day of the conference, the discussants included Kim Jung-sup of Kyung Hee University, Professor Yu Chun-hui of the Beijing Institute of Technology, Professor Kim Yeong-ok of Beijing International Studies University, Professor Kim Gi-seok of Shanghai University of Foreign Studies, Professor Yun Yeo-tak of Seoul National University, and Professor Kang Eun-guk of Fudan University.

Promotion of Korean Studies
The participants exchanged in-depth opinions on various topics related to Korean language education throughout the course of the two-day conference. The enthusiastic approaches of younger scholars as well as the insightful observations of senior scholars, based on their abundance of experience and scholarship, d an energetic environment for scholarly exchange and interaction. It is thus expected that this conference, now well established as a representative academic meeting of Korean language educators, and with stable support from the Foundation, will continue to serve as a primary venue for producing outstanding Korea-related scholars and researchers.