I am an editorial writer at The Korea Times, focusing on foreign policy, North Korea and domestic politics. My key areas of interest include North Korea, foreign interference in elections, election integrity, cyberattacks and human rights. Prior to joining the Editorial Board, I served as both Politics Desk editor and Culture Desk editor. During my career, I have reported on the Presidential Office under the Lee Myung-bak administration, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the National Assembly.
Irish university funds Korean studies
Korea expert reaps rewards years after sowing seeds of K-studies
By Kang Hyun-kyung
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Kevin Cawley, Korea studies lecturer at University College Cork
By Kang Hyun-kyung
In Ireland, there has been progress recently in the status of Korean studies. The post of Kevin Cawley, the first lecturer on Korean studies there, has been made permanent by University College Cork (UCC).
This is a meaningful change in the history of Korean studies in Ireland because the Irish university has recognized it and decided to fund the program with its own budget.
Since Cawley first gave lectures there in 2011, his post had previously been funded by the Association of Korean Studies (AKS).
“I feel thrilled and excited that Korean studies has now been made a permanent feature of UCC, leading the development of Korean studies on the whole island of Ireland,” Cawley said in an email message to The Korea Times.
Cawley, director of the Irish Institute of Korean Studies at UCC, explained that a consensus was built among key university members over the necessity for the subject and this was one of the key drivers of the university authorities’ decision to make his post permanent.
“The President of UCC, Dr. Michael Murphy, as well as the current head of the School of Asian Studies, Prof. Jackie Sheehan, recognized the importance of having Korean studies as an integral part of the School of Asian Studies,” he said. “There is a huge awareness among our Irish and international students about Korea, hence continuously growing numbers of students who want to take Korean courses; and UCC has also made it a priority to develop links with Korean universities. We encourage Korean students to come to study at UCC where they will find a very warm welcome.”
Cawley said he was lucky to have strong support from the Korean Ambassador to Ireland Park Hae-yun who has on several occasions spoken at workshops at UCC and support Korean studies in many ways.
The K-Pop boom has benefitted Korean studies all across the globe. Fans flock to Korean language programs and those who want a deeper understanding of the country are signing up for Korean history or culture courses.
According to the Korea Foundation, 152 universities in 32 countries provided Korean studies courses in the early 1990s. But the figure soared to 977 universities in 94 countries in 2013, mainly due to the popularity of K-Pop and K-Drama.
The K-Pop boom worldwide partly helped Cawley pull together such a meaningful change in his status. But it might have not come without his commitment to Korean studies and the drive to make things happen.
Cawley earned his Ph.D. in Korean studies from the School of East Asian Studies at the University of Sheffield, the United Kingdom, after having lived in Korea for nearly seven years.
His dissertation was about the religious threads of thought in the writings of Jeong Yak-yong (1762-1836). Jeong was a prolific writer, thinker and scholar renowned for his extensive writings and knowledgeable understanding in several academic fields, including philosophy, medical science, engineering and history.
His bond with Korea ushered him to work with the British Home Office as a part-time staff member for three years from 2007 during his graduate program. When the Home Office had North Korean-born asylum seekers in the Manchester area, Cawley would travel there and interpret so that they could get housing and child benefits. He helped nearly 20 North Korean asylum seekers during the period.
Cawley went back to Ireland in 2011 after completing a research fellowship at Gyujanggak, the Institute for Korean Studies at Seoul National University.
In the first semester at UCC, he taught Korean philosophy and religion and Korean language which was funded by AKS.
“Three years ago when I first went to UCC there were no Korean courses at all. Now that has changed. More people now study Korean than Japanese,” he said. “This year we have about 30 students studying the Korean language and this year the AKS has funded our Korean language teacher. Our evening classes have become very popular and now run in both semesters.”
His ambition didn’t end with the status change. One of the short-term goals that he set forth was the launch of the Irish Journal of Asian Studies. “The first edition, which is planned for Summer 2015, will be a special focus edition on Korea: Past, Present and Future,” he said. Cawley said he would visit Korea on a regular basis, adding that for him going to Korea was like going home.