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네이버 공유 카카오 공유 트위터 공유 페이스북 공유

Chance to Personally Experience the Culture and People of Korea

Secondary school teachers of history and social studies and education administrators from 15 European countries participated in the Korean Studies Workshop for European Educators, jointly organized by the Foundation and Hanyang University. The two-week workshop included an intensive program of seminars and field trips to popular attractions in Korea.

The group of European educators who congregated at Incheon airport represented a wide range of countries and backgrounds. We represented 15 countries, from Norway and Sweden, to Italy and Greece, as well as the United Kingdom, Bulgaria, and Romania.
Through the Korea Foundation, we had successfully applied for places on the 2008 European Educators’ Workshop program. We hoped to study the history and culture of this wonderful country, which for many Europeans is known more for its economic successes and its tragic civil war of 1950-53, than for anything else. We expected to return home with new information and ideas about Korea, which would find their way into our teaching and into the minds of our students, so as to better forge close links between Europe and Korea.
The Korea Foundation, together with the Graduate School of Hanyang University, had constructed an intense but fascinating workshop lasting for almost two weeks. We can remember the workshop having two parts, a week of seminars, interspersed with visits, and a week touring Korea with important visits and supporting seminars.
Within the first few days we had received an intensive introduction to the history and culture of Korea. All seminars were conducted in English and it was the case that the level of debate and discussion in this language was very high, which is a tribute to both the Korean academics and the European participants. We were all impressed by the excellently equipped seminar rooms and by the depth, detail, and high standards of the supporting written material.
We were introduced to the Korean language in a teaching session, which was both effective and humorous. Clearly, all the delegates were skilled linguists with an ability to easily learn new languages (with the notable exception of me!). But it was remarkable how well and how quickly we reached a level of confidence in Korean, which was new to most of us.
We learned of the history of Korea through its artifacts and s. The importance of the Joseon Dynasty to the development of the language and culture became clear. The tragedy of the Japanese colonial phase was explained, as was the devastation resulting from the Korean War of 1950-53, and its consequences for the rebuilding of Korea, its economy, and society, after this unfortunate event. But, it was not all classroom activities. We toured Gyeongbokgung Palace and were all impressed by the majesty and grandeur of this remarkable complex of buildings and surrounding grounds.
Our visit to the theatre, to watch a performance of “The Ballerina Who Loved a B-Boy,” will remain with us as a particularly enjoyable memory. The energy, confidence, and talent of the dancers, as they told this romantic story, were remarkable and spoke volumes for Korean youth and their creative talents.
That this production should be internationally acclaimed and award-winning should not be a surprise to anyone.



However, it was not all structured visits. We had free time to explore the shopping delights of Myeong-dong and Insa-dong. Some of us visited the National War Memorial, while others ascended the N Seoul Tower to view the city by night. We all enjoyed the wonderful openness of the citizens of Seoul. Ildilko from Hungary remarked about the openness of the people she met on the Metro, and all the women in the group agreed that they felt safe walking and traveling around Seoul.
We were shown such marvelous hospitality, although for some of us the experience of sitting on the floor to eat a meal was often uncomfortable.
However, the range and quality of the food more than made up for this slight inconvenience. We all sampled the delights of kimchi, though for some of us it was an acquired taste.
Hanyang High School was the venue for our school visit. We were impressed by the concepts enshrined in the school motto: The practice of Love so as to become diligent, honest, modest servants of the people.” We observed a geography class – of particular interest to me – and had the opportunity to talk to both teachers and students. As ever, we were impressed by the enthusiasm of the students to reach high stan dards and to share with us their curiosity about Europe.
We donned traditional clothing at Yejiwon, along with learning the significance of the garments and how to behave in a traditional manner. Not for the first time, many photographs were taken as we were guided through the rituals of Korean life. The National Museum of Korea at Yongsan proved to be a wonderful building housing a tremendous collection of national cultural items, which are displayed to great effect. I particularly enjoyed the early printing press, which probably predates the Gutenburg press, normally seen as the start of mass printing in Europe. But in addition, there were some wonderful examples of Buddhist art and celadon pottery.
Traveling south, we saw something of the Korean landscape before visiting Woosuk University at Jeonju, where we learned something of the relationship between Europe, Asia, and Korea in the new millennium. We visited Jeonju Hanok Village, and at Gwangyang we visited the POSCO complex, the second-largest in Korea and a remarkable example of rapid economic development, as is the Hyundai Heavy Industry plant, where ships were being built using modern technology, like huge “Goliath Cranes,” which lifted ships directly into the sea.
Busan was seen as a typical port: exciting, dynamic, and ambitious. We visited Nurimaru and enjoyed a walk around the venue of the 2005 APEC summit. We enjoyed a dinner cruise on a Tezroc cruise liner, eating a meal and enjoying the delights of Gwangan Bridge, Haeundae Beach, and the Busan skyline.
Our route back to Seoul took us to Gyeongju, where we enjoyed the restful and beautiful parklands where the tombs of the Silla Dynasty can be seen at Daeneung-won Tumuli Park, which offered a fascinating insight into Korean history. We drove through some beautiful hill country to Bulguksa temple, which incorporates a combination of stylish architecture. Buddhist spirits and natural surroundings symbolize Buddha’s land on earth. At the Seokguram Grotto we marveled at the stone Buddha that is an example of a UNESCO Cultural Heritage Site, similar to those found in India and China but arguably greater in artistic terms. Our visit to Andong was particularly notable for the display and demonstration of Andong masks. We walked through the rebuilt village and visited the Andong Soju Museum before walking along the beautiful banks of Nakdong River.
All too soon our tour of Korea had come to its inevitable conclusion. Many of us made a private visit to the DMZ, which we felt illustrated the recent historical and political story of Korea and without which the development of Korea cannot be fully understood.
Thank you Korea Foundation, staff, and students of Hanyang University, and all those we met, for sharing with us the history, culture, and society of the Land of the Morning Calm. Our ives and ambitions have been well achieved.

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