Belarus attracts Korean students

By Kim Se-jeong

The embassy of Belarus in Seoul is rolling up its sleeves to attract Korean students who wish to pursue higher education or language training in Belarus.

Together with the Russian Embassy and the Russian Department of Chung-Ang University, the Belarusian Embassy hosted the “Rusmo Information Exchange Forum” on Feb. 19, at the university’s Seoul campus.

“I hope the campus will contribute to enhancing ties between Belarus and Korea and sharing information about education and studying abroad in Belarus,” said Dmitry V. Sudas, the first secretary at the embassy.

He was in fact the main person behind the half-day event. Diplomats from the Russian Embassy were also present.

His motivation was multifold.

The fundamental motivation was a simple desire to encourage Russian studies in Korea, in which, he said, there has been gradually growing popularity.

But there was more to it than this personal desire for more people to study Russian.

He said the Ministry of Education in Minsk began to realize the potential of Korean students.

Unlike students in other Asian countries, “students from Korea are coming purely to study and leave afterwards, which we value a lot,” the diplomat told The Korea Times.

In March, he’s anticipating a delegation consisting of public university representatives in Belarus, which will be participating in the “study abroad and language fair” in Seoul between March 26 and 27.

Another motivation was Choi Jung-gwang, his partner and a friend, who offered him moral and practical support to organize the event.

He had spent nearly 10 years in Belarus, and is the founder of www.infobelarus.co.kr, a web portal, providing Koreans with information about studying in Belarus.

At the forum, Choi made a presentation on Belarus and “I really thank him,” the diplomat said.

Belarus is a young country, having declared independence from the Soviet Union in 1990.

Belarusian is the official language, which is slightly different from the Russian language. Yet Russian is much more dominantly used.

Among students, Belarus is mentioned as an alternative destination.

Russian cities are expensive and packed with international students, whereas the cost of living and school tuition in Belarus is considerably modest.

A student, who studied in both Belarus and Russia, said the school environment in Belarus is better with fewer Korean students. Moreover, security wise, Belarus is considered safer.

Last year, the Belarusian embassy in Seoul issued approximately 50 student visas, which put the total number of Korean students studying in Sudas’ country at 150.

For those who missed the forum, there is another one being planned.

Also on the sideline of the study-abroad fair in March, students will have the opportunity to interact with the delegation.