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| Professor Joeffrey Calimag, president of Council of ASEAN Professors in Korea (CAPK), gives a speech at the 2019 ASEAN-Korea Academic Conference in Seoul, Aug. 28, 2019. / Courtesy of ASEAN-Korea Centre |
Professors' group from ASEAN nations in Korea tries to boost cooperation, understanding
By Park Han-sol
Professors from ASEAN countries working here can help enhance Koreans' understanding of their countries and promote stronger multilateral partnerships through the lens of education, said Joeffrey Maddatu Calimag, a Filipino professor at the University of Ulsan.
Calimag is the president of the Council of ASEAN Professors in Korea (CAPK), which was launched last year at the initiative of ASEAN-Korea Centre in commemoration of the 30th anniversary of ASEAN-Korea relations. As an advisory committee with more than 50 academics from ASEAN countries working in Korea, its mission lies in enhancing awareness of Southeast Asian countries among Koreans and playing a constructive role in ASEAN-Korea ties through members' positions in higher education institutions.
The council's membership consists of professors and researchers from a wide range of disciplines ―early childhood development, accounting and finance, IT, engineering, among many others.
"Most Koreans perceive ASEAN nationals to work in factories. Symbolically, by informing the public about ASEAN professionals in South Korea, our presence elevates the status of Southeast Asians in the country," Calimag told The Korea Times in a recent email interview.
Despite the short time since its inception, the council has already engaged in various projects to facilitate closer ASEAN-Korea cooperation. These activities included holding a seminar for academics, participating as judges and advisors in programs organized by the ASEAN-Korea Centre and connecting with Korean government agencies including the Ministry of Education.
A Filipino, Calimag first came to Korea in 2002 as a global ambassador fellowship recipient at the KDI School of Public Policy and Management.
"Most of my friends were very skeptical of my decision to come because Korea as a country and its export products were not popular at that time," he recounted. But he believed the situation could become an opportunity for him to become one of the first students to explore a rather new rising nation, he said.
He later went on to earn his Ph.D. in Korean studies at Hanyang University in 2014, and also studied in the Philippines, Finland, and the U.S. He is currently a professor at the University of Ulsan teaching international business, trade and global management as well as Korean economy and conglomerates.
"During the time I was at KDI School, I saw endless unexplored opportunities and decided to become a Koreanist (an expert on Korea), utilizing my skills and background. I believe that I am slowly living as one."
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| CAPK members pose for a photo at the ASEAN-Korea Centre, Seoul, during a seminar on advancing research opportunities for ASEAN professors in Korea, June 1, 2019. / Courtesy of ASEAN-Korea Centre |
Calimag said cooperation between ASEAN and Korea is now more important than ever given the very volatile economic and geopolitical relations with other powerful countries.
He said the regional powers which used to have a greater role in Korean Peninsula issues are not being helpful in the peace process, and that gives "more reason to look for the neutral but very significant trading partner which is the ASEAN."
According to the professor, President Moon Jae-in's New Southern Policy, declared in 2017, paved the way for a great leap toward more strengthened cooperation between Korea and Southeast Asian member states.
"Even before the New Southern Policy, South Korea and ASEAN member countries have been good partners for development. The difference is that it is being emphasized now," he stressed.
Despite the short history of the policy, it has achieved development: as of October 2019, trade increased more than 20-fold since the establishment of ASEAN-Korea relations 30 years ago and exchanges of human resources and humanitarian aids in times of natural disasters have also considerably risen, he said.
Calimag said Korean businessmen and organizations acknowledge the importance of ASEAN as an economic and trade partner, and ASEAN countries have generally positive image of Korea due to its development assistance, products and pop culture.
However, Calimag also pointed out that there is great disparity in Korea's perception of ASEAN as an economic trade partner and its people as foreign workers.
Although Korea is becoming a multicultural society with 4.9 percent of the total population being foreign residents as of 2019 according to the Ministry of Justice, Korean society still lacks inclusiveness and has a different approach toward those from Western countries and those from less developed countries including ASEAN nations, the Filipino professor said.
"While the Korean society is becoming diverse in terms of the number of nationalities residing in the country, it has not reached its minimum potential to become an inclusive society. Danilminjok (homogeneous or monoethnic) is how Korean people believe their race should be. It is ingrained in their national pride that they have one race, making their closed society difficult to penetrate."
Calimag believes that some of the Korean government's programs supposedly fostering multiculturalism are misguided and in fact simply pursue cultural assimilation. He gave the integration initiatives for foreign wives from ASEAN that turn them into "perfect Koreanized wives of Korean husbands" as a case in point.
He said although Korea is short of manpower amid a decrease in population, its employment system for migrant workers is mainly designed for preventing the workers from applying for permanent residency.
These phenomenon show how Korea "is torn between the perceived future negative consequences by retaining these productive foreigners and endangering their one race society," Calimag explained.
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| ASEAN-Korea Centre Secretary General Lee Hyuk, right, presents a plaque commemorating the inauguration of the CAPK to Professor Joeffrey Calimag at the 2019 ASEAN-Korea Academic Conference in Seoul, Aug. 28, 2019. / Courtesy of ASEAN-Korea Centre |
In order to achieve a multicultural society, the professor highlighted the need for Koreans and foreigners acknowledging cultural differences and celebrating this diversity. "South Korea must develop a well-designed curriculum starting from the foundation years of its educational system to expose the young minds to a global mindset, encompassing diversity and inclusivity," he said.
As an ASEAN professor, Calimag teaches these concepts in his courses. He also stated that his position as an academic in Korea "is in itself a show of diversity and inclusivity, where it is dominated by colleagues from North America, Europe and Australia."
To contribute to this step toward mutual understanding between Korea and ASEAN, CAPK has set up an ambitious plan for next year. As part of its team building process, it will host more conferences and networking events even at an international scale and connect its members to different Korean government agencies.
The organization will also publish a book that centers on one question "Who are ASEANs in Korea?" Calimag showed hope that the publication can provide Koreans insightful answers about jobs and status held by ASEAN people in Korea, their economic and sociocultural background, and ASEAN businesses stationed in the country.
