KOREA FOUNDATION

Korea and its neighboring countries in Asia have rapidly developed closer relations in recent years. In response to this new environment, the Foundation needs to adjust its strategy for the provision of support for Korean Studies in various regions of the world. However, there has been no careful consideration of and systematic approach to this matter. In this context, the Foundation launched a research effort to identify ways to promote Korean Studies in Asia, based on a new strategy, while also maintaining the objectives of the existing Korean Studies support programs. The research activities were undertaken from December 2007 through February 2008, in regard to the status of Korean Studies programs in five Asian countries: China, India, Mongolia, Vietnam, and Kazakhstan.

Difficulty of Korean Studies Efforts
In recent years, the relations between Korea and the Asian region have expanded dramatically and become more intertwined. Nevertheless, as for the promotion of Korean Studies in Asia, much difficulty must be overcome. This situation involves two key factors: First, large countries, like China and India, do not consider Korea to be especially important, and they maintain and invest heavily in their own academic infrastructure. The priority of Korea, however, is ranked well below that of the United States, Europe, and Japan. Of particular note, a relatively large number of Chinese scholars have shown an interest in Korean Studies. In contrast, in the case of India, Korean Studies resources are quite meager.
Second, the countries of Vietnam, Mongolia, and Kazakhstan have problems in promoting Korean Studies. Above all, their academic infrastructure is rather weak. They have a keen interest in Korean language education, for practical purposes, but little incentive to pursue Korea-related academic research. Even when there is significant interest in learning Korean, there is a serious lack of human resources to satisfy this demand, while working conditions for researchers and professors are noticeably inferior. This creates difficulty for not only the current researchers and professors, but also for development of the next generation of Korean Studies scholars.

Localized Approach
Of course, this kind of approach might well be questioned since Korean Studies is of marginal standing in not only Asia but throughout the world as well, while there is only a comparatively small pool of Korean Studies scholars. However, considering the fact that the relations between Korea and the Asian region have expanded so dramatically, it is now clear that it will be imperative to promote Korean Studies in the region, based on a variety of methods suited to the local situation. Of course, the academic infrastructure of Asian countries is not a matter that Korea can directly get involved with. And other countries cannot be forced to upgrade their importance of Korea, either. What Korea can do for the promotion of Korean Studies in Asia is simply to make the most of the gradually increasing interest in Korea, among various sectors, and to naturally foster academic interest in Korean Studies.
The development of Korean Studies in Asia must start from the intersections of mutual interests, and then be expanded to areas that require mid- and long-term investment. It is also desirable to nurture the growing demand for Korean-language education, which has naturally emerged out of Asian countries’ self-interests, so that students can develop an interest in the social sciences and humanities areas of Korean Studies. As for the fostering of new Korean Studies scholars, it is necessary to offer scholarship aid so that they can acquire master and doctoral degrees in Korea.
Support for Korean language training should be provided on a condition that they will pursue an advanced degree in Korean Studies, so as to steadily expand the pool of Korea-related specialists. It is also important to improve their research ability through strict academic oversight so that they can develop advanced research skills for application in their home country. In addition, it would be ideal for these scholars to be educated at Korean institutions that maintain research staff on relevant regions as well as specialists in Korean Studies areas.
To encourage senior researchers to develop a deep interest in Korea, they need to be provided with an opportunity to remain in Korea for an extended stay to conduct their research. Moreover, they should be encouraged to conduct joint research initiatives with Korean scholars so that they can maintain a collaborative relationship on a long-term basis. It is also necessary to help them offer Korean Studies courses and to continue their research on Korea when they return home. There is also a need to hold a strategic Korean Studies forum, with relevant countries, to coordinate the implementation of support policies at this time. The forum can serve as an occasion to discuss various issues related to the promotion of Korean Studies, such as exchange programs for researchers and students.
Considering the situation in Korea and Asian countries, support programs for the enhancement of Korean Studies in Asia are now just getting underway. As such, these efforts should be implemented urgently but carefully, in response to the rapid expansion of relations within the Asian region. In particular, hasty measures are unlikely to be effective, while missing the right time might also prove costly. At this point, it is difficult to forecast the actual effectiveness of Korean Studies support initiatives. But the fact that the Foundation is taking the first steps in this direction can only be viewed as a positive sign.