The Department of Korean Language and Literature at the College of Asian Studies of Kazan Federal University staged a “Korea Day” event, with sponsorship support from the Korea Foundation, to mark the department’s third anniversary and to encourage the enrollment of additional students.

Kazan Federal University is a prestigious academic institution located in the Volga River region of central Russia. Although it is not very well known in Korea, the university is recognized in the United States and Europe as the institute where Leo Tolstoy majored in Arabic, and where Vladimir Lenin also studied. Moreover, the university regularly invites international figures, including heads of state for lecture presentations. In the past two years, China’s President Hu Jintao, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, and the presidents of various European countries have been guest lecturers of the university. It is noteworthy that the university's Department of Korean Language and Literature has observed its third anniversary in the city of Kazan, where there are few Korea-related businesses and residents.

Korean Song Contest

The 'Korea Day' event was attended by several notable figures in Russia, including Ilshat Gafurov, new rector of Kazan Federal University, and Korean Ambassador to Russia Lee Yoon-ho, along with professors and students, who filled the performance hall. In his opening remarks, Rector Gafurov pledged to do his utmost to have more students enroll in the Department of Korean Language and Literature, and to expand support for the students.
For the “Korean Song Contest,” a highlight of the activities, 10 teams from different universities around the Volga River region, which survived a preliminary round of competition, gave spirited performances. Interestingly, the competitors cited a variety of reasons for their participation. Some were introduced to Korean songs by their friends in Korea, while others enjoyed Korean songs after hearing them by chance. There were also students who said that they just wanted to learn how to sing Korean songs so that they could participate in the contest and maybe win a prize.
Members of the prize-winning teams mentioned how much they enjoyed watching Korean TV dramas and movies, while following along with the sound track music. The first prize was awarded to Julia, a junior at the Department of Korean Language and Literature. Although she received a notebook computer, she said she liked the DVD set of Korean movies, which was presented to all participants, even more, bringing a smile to the face of many in the audience.
At the entrance to the performance venue there was an exhibition of works prepared by students of the Department of Korean Language and Literature, which included poems, novels, letters, posters, advertisement leaflets, film reviews, and travel essays, all written in Korean. The exhibits clearly revealed the high level of Korean language competency that the students had acquired.
Ahead of the song contest, senior-year Korean language students gave a performance of samulnori (traditional Korean percussion quartet) to open the festivities. They boasted exceptional musical ability thanks to a year of instruction and practice. During the performance, the audience responded enthusiastically to the rhythm of kkwaenggwari (small brass gong) by clapping their hands. Then, a Taekwon-mu presentation by a group of junior students further entertained the audience with a fresh rendition that integrated taekwondo, Korea’s indigenous martial art, with lively dance and music.

‘Korea Day’ Event in Kazan

The ‘Korea Day’ event was designed to promote the national image of Korea in Kazan, along with publicizing the Kazan Federal University’s Department of Korean Language and Literature. Kazan, the capital city of the Republic of Tatarstan, is about a 12-hour drive from Moscow and one of the largest economic and financial centers in Russia. However, because there are so few Korean businesses and residents in Kazan, the city remains unfamiliar among most Korean people.With support from the Korea Tourism Organization, the 'Korea Day' event also featured a photo exhibition about Korean tourism and distribution of travel guides on Korea, in an effort to promote Korea as a visitor destination among local residents. Visitors could taste traditional Korean snacks, offered at the venue entrance, and learn about Korea from a brief informational video.

While Chinese is the most popular Asian language at a majority of Russian universities, relatively few of them maintain a department of Korean language and literature. Russian universities mainly teach Korean as a first or second foreign language course at their Asian language or international studies departments.
A female student, who is currently majoring in primary education at the university and also participated in the song contest, said: “When I was practicing the Korean songs at home, my parents complained about the noise, saying that they could not understand the lyrics. But after watching me singing at the contest, they wanted me to see if there is a way for me to transfer to the Department of Korean Language and Literature.”

Kwak Bu-mo Visiting Professor
Department of Korean Language, Kazan Federal University