More than 100 Korean studies scholars from all around the world gathered in Seoul's southern suburbs Tuesday for a congress to share the results of their studies and seek ways to advance the academic field, organizers said.
The 6th World Congress of Korean Studies opened at the Academy of Korean Studies, a state think tank located in Seongnam, just south of Seoul, with about 140 scholars from 25 countries around the world attending.
Under the theme "Korean Studies for the Advancement of Global Civilization," the participants will each present one work and hold discussions on their subject areas, they said.
The two-day convention will deal with almost everything about Korea -- ranging from traditional Korean music and hallyu or the recent boom of Korean pop cultural products such as TV dramas and K-pop in foreign countries to Korea's history, economy, society, literature and religion -- according to the organizers.
A large number of scholars from South American countries were to attend this year's congress to speak on Korean immigrants, the wind of Korean pop culture blowing in the region and education on Korean studies.
"Korean studies has repeatedly innovated itself with a time-honored tradition," Cho Dong-il, a professor emeritus at the Seoul National University, said in a keynote address. "For the globalization of Korean studies, there should be new achievements from the innovations based on tradition." (Yonhap)