In 2011, to mark the 20th anniversary of its founding, the Korea Foundation will actively respond to changes in the external environment in an effort to more effectively promote Korean Studies abroad, by adjusting existing programs to satisfy growing demands for Korea-related education and research. In particular, the Foundation will exert additional efforts to expand the base for Korean Studies worldwide, which has been somewhat limited in scope due to previous initiatives related to regional studies, by diversifying the fields of study and support for various regions.
Thus far, Korean Studies courses at foreign universities have been offered mainly as part of humanities or regional studies programs. However, in response to new demands for Korean education abroad, efforts will be made to broaden Korea-related education and research programs to various subfields of social sciences as well. In addition, the Foundation will seek to attain regional diversification of Korean Studies by supporting more Korea-related courses at universities in Asia, East Europe, Oceania, Middle East, and Africa. While maintaining its existing support programs for the establishment of professorships, dispatch of visiting scholars, retention of faculty members, and various academic activities, the Foundation will also introduce a new ambitious project, dubbed the “KF Global e-School,” this year, which integrates online video lectures with offline programs, within and outside of Korea.
On July 6-9, 2011, a “KF Assembly” event will be staged to examine the current state of Korean Studies and to discuss ways to advance its further development in an effective manner. For this gathering, which will serve as a centerpiece of the cooperative network among the specialists and researchers of Korean Studies, about 100 individuals will be invited, including the professors whose faculty positions have been supported by the Foundation and are actively serving at universities abroad, as well as the directors of Korean Studies research centers, which function as outposts for Korea-related outreach programs.

The Foundation tries to further improve the effectiveness of its fellowship programs in order to foster a larger pool of Korean specialists. For this, a survey initiative will be undertaken to gather input and suggestions from relevant organizations and individuals, along with the launch of a system that offers incentives to fellows based on the results of their research projects.

The Fellowship Program for Foreign Researchers in Korea provides assistance so that Korea-related researchers from abroad can visit Korea to conduct onsite research. In 2011, the program will extend support to 33 researchers from 17 countries, including three fellows participating in a cooperative program between the Foundation and the German Academic Research Service (DAAD). In addition to research activities, the fellows will also participate in academic forums, field trips to provincial areas, and cultural events, so that they can acquire more in-depth understanding of Korea’s culture and society.

This program will provide an opportunity for 33 Korea-related graduate students and 21 Korean language instructors from 21 countries to attend intensive Korean language courses. Similarly, the Korean Language and Culture Training Program will include the participation of 14 diplomats from 11 countries.

This scholarship program for foreign graduate students majoring in Korea-related subjects seeks to nurture the next generation of Korea specialists and researchers. In 2011, the Foundation will extend scholarship aid to some 160 selected students who are pursuing Korea-related study at leading universities in North America, Europe, Russia, Asia, and Oceania.

This program offers assistance to Korean Studies scholars to encourage the refinement and publication of their research work in foreign languages. It extends fellowship support to young foreign scholars who have already received their doctoral degrees, with theses on Korea-related subjects, so that they can refine and publish their papers.

Under this workshop program, middle and high school teachers of history and social sciences, textbook writers, and education administrators, from the United States, Japan, China, and Russia, are invited to visit Korea so that they can attend relevant lectures, and participate in home-stay visits and various cultural activities. Based on these firsthand learning experiences, it is hoped that these educators will develop more informative and relevant instruction for students in their countries.

In 2011, the Foundation will embark on various new cultural initiatives for a more harmonized and effective presentation of Korea to the world. Most notably, under the “KF Global Museum Internship” program, the Foundation intends to provide five young/potential art-related professionals in Korea with opportunities to enrich their working-level experience and knowledge at leading art museums abroad. The annual “Korean Art Workshop for Curators at Overseas Museums,” which for the past 12 years has played a pivotal role in the Foundation’s efforts to enhance foreign curators’ understanding of Korea and to build networks with art professionals in Korea and abroad, will be integrated with the new “KF Global Seminar” initiative, in order to expand the reach of intellectual understanding on Korean art and culture to a broader foreign audience at the professional level.

The Foundation plans to feature several “Korea Foundation Day” events in conjunction with major Korean art exhibitions at prominent art museums abroad, including the “Lee U-fan: Stand Still a Moment” exhibition at the Guggenheim Museum in New York (June 2011) and the “Modern Tradition: Korean Buncheong Ware from the Leeum Collection” at the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco (September 2011). The Foundation will also host “Discovering Korea: Treasures from German Museums,” an exhibition featuring outstanding Korean artifacts housed in nine German museums, which will tour four leading museums in Germany (March 2011 to February 2013). At the KF Cultural Center in Seoul, notable events will include: “Memories of Three Countries: Korea, China, Japan (tentatively named),” highlighting the essence of East Asian contemporary art, as well as a series of “KF Gallery Open Stage” concerts that will feature a variety of world cultures and arts for domestic audience and foreign residents in Korea.

The Foundation will mark its 20th anniversary with a series of high-quality and distinctive cultural events and support programs. To secure new/expanded exhibition space for the display of Korean art at leading overseas art museums, the Foundation will extend support for the establishment/renovation of Korean art galleries at six museums in the United States and Europe, including the Boston Museum of Fine Arts, the Cleveland Museum of Art, the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, and the Museum of Far Eastern Antiquities in Sweden. It will also begin discussions with the Pacific Asia Museum in Pasadena, California, and the Samuel P. Harn Museum of Art at the University of Florida for mutual collaboration on the creation/renovation of their Korean galleries. The Foundation will further try to promote the richness of Korean art by sponsoring exhibitions of Korean traditional and contemporary arts organized by five leading art museums in the United States, Britain, and Australia, including the “Tradition Transformed: Contemporary Korean Ceramics” at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London (April to September, 2011).
For the purpose of introducing the culture and arts of various other countries such as China, Japan, Australia, and Sweden to domestic audiences, the KF Cultural Center plans to host 15 multinational exhibitions, including “WA: the Spirit of Contemporary Japanese Design and Harmony” and “Swedish Contemporary Craft Art 2011.” The regular cultural lecture series will feature themes such as “World Cultural Heritage II: Asia,” and “Greek Story,” along with the annual lecture series on Korean culture for foreign residents in Korea and the screening of multicultural films. The Foundation also intends to further strengthen its cooperation with local governments of various Korean cities to expand intercultural exchanges to broader audiences, while actively supporting the activities of its volunteers’ network for international exchange.

In close cooperation with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade and its diplomatic missions worldwide, the Foundation will continue to carry out various cultural projects to enhance mutual friendship and trust between Korea and nations around the world. Moreover, the Foundation will also support outstanding local art and culture projects to be introduced abroad in order to consolidate the network of international exchange for Korean culture and art.

In 2011, the Foundation plans to invite and host the visit of about 150 prominent figures in such sectors as government, business, academia, media, and culture, from some 60 countries. During their stay, the guests will be able to increase their understanding of Korea by visiting relevant organizations and individuals, and forming personal and network relations with their Korean counterparts. Also, under the reunion visit program for the U.S. Peace Corps, about 200 former members and their family members will visit Korea and renew their contact with the organizations and persons with whom they had formerly volunteered. In particular, this program seeks to broaden the base for Korea-U.S. friendship and cooperative relations.

Under this program, the Foundation will host the visit of about 230 next-generation leaders, who are on track to assume leadership roles in various professional areas, from Central and South America, the Middle East, Europe, and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS). During their time here, the visitors will acquire an in-depth understanding about Korea and its society, along with developing future-oriented networks with their counterparts in Korea.

To promote mutual understanding among the youth of Korea, the United States, China, and Japan, the Foundation supports an international exchange program for students, so that they can contribute to the future development of Korea’s relations with the peoples of these countries. In 2011, plans call for the implementation of “Project to Form Exchange Networks among Korea-U.S. Youth” (involving the visit of some 200 U.S. students at high school and university levels) and “Exchange Program for Korea-China Youth” (involving the visit of about 300 Chinese students). In addition, about 100 Korean students will visit China as guests of the Chinese People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries, a Chinese partner of the Foundation’s visitor exchange programs.

A basic priority of the Foundation involves the undertaking of continuous research efforts to formulate more effective program strategies and action plans for the implementation of its exchange activities. In 2011, the Foundation plans to publish Volumes 3 and 4 of the “Korea Foundation Public Diplomacy Translation” series to provide wider access in Korea to research papers from abroad that provide insight into recent developments in the field of public diplomacy. To keep pace with global trends, in which the influence of public diplomacy is being increasingly recognized, the Foundation inaugurated the “Korea Public Diplomacy Forum” in 2010 to bring together concerned specialists and scholars from various domestic circles. This forum seeks to identify broad directions and practical strategies to advance Korea’s public diplomacy efforts, along with serving as a vital link between government-level diplomacy and people-to-people initiatives.

Over the years, the Foundation has extended significant assistance to encourage leading public policy institutes to conduct extensive research on issues related to Korean issues, and to distribute relevant research findings. In 2011 the Foundation will continue to support research projects related to South and North Korea, and the East Asian region, which are being conducted by various research institutes abroad, including the Brookings Institution, the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), and the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars.

To facilitate Korea’s people-to-people diplomacy, the Foundation extends support to international conferences organized by academic/research institutes in Korea as well as exchange programs implemented by domestic non-governmental organizations. These activities are designed to encourage the international exchange efforts of Korean institutions and groups, and to strengthen the private sector’s participation in public diplomacy initiatives. In 2011, the Foundation will provide assistance to 10 international conferences in Korea and related events involving 16 private organizations.

In support of Korea’s recent efforts to promote a “multicultural society” and “shared growth,” the Foundation organized and hosted a KF Global Leadership Camp in 2010. Under this program, students from multi-ethnic families are invited to participate in camp activities that are designed to encourage them to develop self-esteem and leadership potential so that they can integrate into Korean society more easily.

In line with its efforts to maintain a global network of manpower resources, including world-renowned figures and next-generation mid-career experts, the Foundation will present KF Global Seminar sessions, on a quarterly basis, for the purpose of coming up with innovative solutions to imminent global issues through a “collective intelligence” process.

In 2011, the Foundation plans to publish four more volumes of the “Korea Essentials” series, which provides essential information about Korean culture for foreign readers. The “Korea Essentials” series consistes of compilations of feature stories and columns from Koreana, the quarterly journal on Korean culture and arts that the Foundation has published for the past 24 years. Initial volumes of this series include “Hangeul,” “Traditional Korean Paintings,” “DMZ,” and “Traditional Food.”

The Foundation plans to produce and distribute video clips on Korean themes(five-minute videos on various subjects) to supplement education on Korea at high schools and universities abroad. Based on a survey of foreign scholars, conducted by the Foundation and the Center for Korean Studies at the Association for Asian Studies (AAS-CKS), about 20 themes related to Korea’s history, economy, society, and culture have been selected. The video clips will be distributed through the Foundation’s online library and in the form of DVDs. The DVDs will also be distributed to concerned organizations at home so they can be used as educational materials for multi-ethnic families and their children.

To support Korean studies abroad, the Foundation distributes books published in Korean and foreign languages, and multimedia materials for universities, research institutes, and public libraries. Efforts are being made to improve the search function and processing time of its website for distribution of reference materials for Korean Studies, and BooksonKorea, (www.booksonkorea.org), while making available additional functions, such as online applications, for greater convenience of users.