Films, Food, K-Pop and a Lot More

For the current 2011-2012 academic year, a total of 23 universities, including Boston University, UC San Diego, George Washington University, Emory University, and Harvard University, are sponsored. Each of the selected universities receives a grant of $2,000, as well as a DVD set of four Korean films with English subtitles (“Jeon Woo Chi,” “Cyrano Agency,” “Poetry,” and “Don’t Cry for Me Sudan”) provided by KITA, a Korean food guidebook(edited by the Korea Foundation), and Koreana, the Korea Foundation’s quarterly journal on Korean arts and culture.

In addition, with assistance from the Korea Tourism Organization (KTO), the participating universities are also provided posters and other publicity materials to help increase awareness of Korea and Korean culture among their students and academic community as well as to boost the festive atmosphere.

The recipients of program support include Korean student associations, Korean international student groups, and Korea-related student clubs at universities across the United States. The festivals are often scheduled to coincide with special occasions in Korea, such as Hangeul Day commemorating the invention of Korean alphabet, the Chuseok holiday for the harvest moon, and the Lunar New Year’s Day, as well as university-wide international activities. Popular festival events include film presentations, Korean food tasting events, and an array of cultural performances, ranging from traditional dance to modern K-pop entertainment.

Diverse Activities for Every Interest

Over the years, the student group organizers have put much effort into developing increasingly colorful and appealing programs to generate broader interest from the general student population at the participant universities. Popular programs include: trying on traditional Korean costumes (hanbok), pansori performances, taekwondo demonstrations, lectures about North Korean refugees, showing of student-produced films, samulnori percussion music, traditional Korean games (chicken fight, yut nori), calligraphy demonstrations, and quiz contests.

Examples of festival programs at some of the participant university are – (American University: pansori; Boston University: taekwondo, “Nanta,” mask dance; Columbia University: traditional games; Harvard University: exhibition of Dokdo/East Sea ancient maps; Miami University of Ohio: tug of war, chicken fight; University of Minnesota-Twin Cities: hanbok wearing, writing one’s name in Hangeul.

In particular, the festivals enable Korea-related student groups to acquire invaluable learning experience from their efforts to introduce Korean culture as widely as possible on their respective campuses, through event planning, making arrangements for performers, securing equipment, attracting visitors, and publicity activities.

By introducing the distinctive aspects of traditional and contemporary Korean culture to university students across the United States, who are next-generation leaders of their society, this support program seeks to goodwill toward Korea and instill cultural pride in Korean-American students, thereby enhancing Korea-U.S relations.

American University, Boston University, Brigham Young University, Cleveland State University,
Columbia University, Emory University, George Washington University, Harvard University,
Iowa State University, Portland State University, Texas A&M University,
University of California Irvine, University of California Los Angeles,
University of California San Diego, University of Georgia, University of Illinois Urbana Champaign,
University of Mary Washington, University of Maryland College Park,
University of Pennsylvania, University of Pittsburgh, University of Rochester,
University of Virginia, Washington University in St. Louis

Lee Kwang-cheol Director, Korea Foundation Washington, D.C. Office