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네이버 공유 카카오 공유 트위터 공유 페이스북 공유

Steadfast Efforts to Promote Korean Language Education<br> in Russia

The Korea Foundation and the Department of Korean Language and Literature, Institute of Asian& African Studies, Moscow State University co-organized a workshop on Korean languageeducation, which included the participation of relevant Russian educators and instructors (May 21-22). Of particular note, the participants agreed to establish an Association of Korean Language Educators from Russian universities and institutions.

An opening ceremony of the workshop was intended by some 80 Korean language professors from 22 Russian universities, which offer regular courses on Korean instruction. In their remarks, Korean Ambassador to Russia Lee Kyu-hyung and Korea Foundation Executive Vice President Hahn Young-hee emphasized the importance of Korean language education for the continued development of bilateral relations between Korea and Russia. Similarly, Professor Mikhail Meyer, Director of the Institute of Asian & African Studies, stressed the significance of conversation skills, while saying that language competency cannot be attained without the ability to converse fluently, regardless of your understanding of grammar and vocabulary. He also expressed his sincere appreciation to the Korea Foundation for its support of this gathering, and his hope for a continuation of the cooperative efforts between Korea and Russia in the field of education.



Korean Conversation Instruction
The first workshop session included an introduction of Korean language instruction methods for Russian university students by Valentina Dmitriyeva, a professor of the Moscow State Institute of International Relations (MGIMO) and prominent scholar of Korean language education in Russia. The presentations by other participants also emphasized the importance of “listening comprehension,” the foundation for effective conversation. They all agreed on a need to focus their efforts on the development of teaching materials for listening comprehension, which are not yet available in Russia, along with sharing the experiences of their classroom instruction of Korean conversation.
Professor Lee Sang-yun of St. Petersburg College of Education noted that standard Korean alone was not sufficient for proper conversation with Koreans or for the reading of Korean novels, which requires an understanding of Korean dialects. He thus called for the inclusion of basic information about Korean dialects in Korean language textbooks. Of note, Professor Im Valentina of the Far Eastern State University of the Humanities introduced one of her soon-to-be-published reference books for the study of Korean styles and speech, which the participants believed would be most helpful for the education of Korean in Russia. Professor Aleksandr Ivanov of the same university also introduced “A Dictionary of Korean Affixes” that he edited, which also generated considerable interest among the participants. A noteworthy aspect of the workshop was the large number of paper presenters who were professors and educators in their late 20s or early 30s, underscoring a favorable environment for the longterm advancement of Korean language education in Russia. Although relatively young in age, they have acquired an abundance of experience and knowledge. Without exception, the participants expressed their personal gratitude to the Korea Foundation for providing them with an opportunity to enhance their knowledge, along with expressing their strong desire to see a continuation of this workshop event.



Association of Korean Language Educators
A notable milestone of the workshop was the agreement to establish an Association of Korean Language Educators from Russian universities and Institutions. Prior to the workshop, a charter of the association was drafted, based on consultation with each member university by the Korea Foundation Moscow Office, which was unanimously adopted by the university representatives who attended the workshop. The foremost purpose of the association is to coordinate and support the systematic development of Korean language education in Russia, through the promotion of cooperative relations between Russian universities and relevant institutions in Korea.
Professor Irina Kasatkina of the Institute of Asian & African Studies, Moscow State University, the organizer of the workshop, was elected the first president of the association. The two-year-term presidency will automatically be assumed by a member of the host/organizer of the upcoming general meet ing. Even before the founding ceremony was concluded, various universities in Irkutsk, Vladivostok, and Khabarovsk expressed their desire to host a future association workshop, demonstrating the keen interest among Russian universities to further promote Korean language education.

Traditional Tea Ceremony
In conjunction with the workshop, the organizer arranged for a demonstration of Korea’s traditional tea ceremony, to provide participants with an opportunity to experience Korean culture. The demonstration was presented by Chae Won-hwa, President of the Banyaro Tea Culture Institute of Korea, and four of his associates. The professors and students carefully observed the formal details of the tea ceremony. Following the demonstration and a Q&A session, the participants had a chance to sample Korean tea, along with traditional snack items prepared by the institute members, who also donated a set of tea ceremony implements to the Center for Korean Studies of Moscow State University.
In addition to sharing their personal experiences, the workshop also served as a venue for the participants to establish the Association of Korean Language Educators from Russian Universities and Institutions, and to observe an authentic demonstration of Korea’s traditional tea ceremony. All of the participants were grateful for having such a fulfilling experience and pledged to put forth their utmost efforts to teach the Korean language and promote Korean culture.

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