Korean studies riding on hallyu boom overseas

Chang Won-suk, center, head of international support at the Academy of Korean Studies, poses with students. He said government support is important to promote Korean studies abroad. / Courtesy of the author

By Chang Won-suk

I had an opportunity to visit a Korean language class at the Royal University of Phnom Pehn, the most prestigious university in Cambodia in March. I was impressed by the fever and enthusiasm shown by Korean language teacher Jung Hye-min, placed by the Academy of Korean Studies Korean Studies Grant Program, and her Cambodian students. They seem to enjoy learning Korea language and become hilarious at things about Korea. I was able to witness the exemplification of a rise of Korean Studies in Cambodia, as is happening in many parts of the world.

What we see today in the media is an increasing number of students thrilled by Psy becoming interested in Korean Studies in schools. That is probably not mere exaggeration by Korean nationalists. Most Korean studies programs in higher education institutions in South East Asian countries began as early as 2000 and, by and large, are attracting increasing numbers of students now.

Though that may be news to excite Korean people’s hearts, now is also the time to look at the rise of Korean Studies with cool heads so we can continue riding the wave of Korea.

It is worth paying attention that while Korean language programs and K-pop in dance clubs may attract youngsters, we are experiencing the decline of pre-modern Korean studies in many countries.

Mikhail Park, an eminent scholar of Korean history at the Moscow State University who translated the “History of Three Kingdoms (Samguk Sagi)” into the Russian language, passed away in 1990. That is unfortunate for Koreanists in Russian as well as the international Korean studies community.

Yet the more unfortunate thing is that it is almost impossible to fill his position in pre-modern Korean history at Moscow State University. They are simply not able to identify any qualified junior scholar to fill his position. While Russian students become more interested in Korean language with many practical reasons, humanities subjects leading to deeper understanding of Korean culture are being ignored. It is also noticeable that most Korean history positions opened in Western academies in recent years highlight modern and contemporary Korea, not pre-modern studies.

Pre-modern (as much as contemporary) Korean philosophy may be the least developed of all Korean Studies. The philosophy of Toegye and Wonhyo still remains reclusive in their hermit kingdom. Patrick S. Bresnan’s book, “Introductory Textbook to Eastern Philosophy, Awakening: An Introduction of the History of Eastern Thought,” begins in India, moves on to Tibet and China, then skips over Korea to end in Japan.

One of the most respected non-western philosophy journals, Philosophy East and West, has run only one article on Korean philosophy of more than 30 that appeared during 2009 to 2011. While Japanese and Chinese philosophers are accepted as objects of reflection and inspiration in the international philosophy community, there are almost no Korean philosophy faculty positions in Western academies. The “Sourcebook in Korean Philosophy,” a basic textbook in the philosophy classroom, is not available.

To learn pre-modern Korean history, philosophy and literature needs serious effort, time and scholarly qualities. Proficiency in classical Chinese language and the Korean language, which are the most difficult languages for some Western students, is also required. To learn Korean pre-modern humanities needs the scholarly quality to understand the essence and variance of Korean culture and the imagination and sensibility to view them in the context of contemporary relevance.

It requires commitment, not capricious fancy. Aspirants need more than four years of concentration to master any field of pre-modern Korean humanities. In addition to that, they struggle with the lack of positions in higher educational institutions. Yet if the proper conditions were provided, they could survive as the most adamant Koreanists, who understand and find the potential of Korean values in this changing world.

I hope the Korean government and international entrepreneurs of Korea can play an important role to formulate conditions to protect and grow Korean humanities studies abroad. When I met with Donald Baker, a Korean Studies professor in British Columbia, Canada, he was sympathetic with my view that we need to form more favorable conditions of education and research for pre-modern scholars of Korean Studies outside Korea. Otherwise we may witness their extinction.

Now we seem to have Korean Justin Biebers and Ushers. Maybe even a Korean Steven Spielberg in the near future. What we do not have, yet is most needed, is a Korean Shakespeare, Heidegger, Burckhardt or Gombrich, who can properly express the quality of Korean culture and humanities.

The writer is a senior researcher and head of international support for the Korean Studies division at the Academy of Korean Studies.