KOREA FOUNDATION

Greetings! My name is Jang Won-ki, and I teach Korean language at Al-Farabi Kazakh National University (KazNU) as part of the Department of Korean Studies in the Faculty of Oriental Studies.

With its vast territory and strong economic growth, Kazakhstan is often called the “giant of Central Asia.” More than 100,000 Koreans, whose descendants are called goryeoin, were forced to migrate to the country during Japan’s colonial rule of Korea. Thus, there are many goryeoin professors among the scholars who have inherited and now maintain the Korean studies field from the Soviet era.

Professors and first-year students of the Department of Korean Studies wear traditional Korean hanbok at a meeting with the Almaty Consul General.

KazNU is located in Almaty, a southern city that formerly served as the country’s capital and is now its economic hub. KazNU’s Department of Korean Studies was established in 1994 and some 400 Korean studies majors have since graduated. At the moment, there are 161 undergraduate, seven master’s, and three doctoral students who are majoring in Korean studies, Korean language and literature, and translation and interpretation, respectively. Every year, the department celebrates the Korean Studies Week, which features a Korean language speaking contest, a Korean studies quiz show modeled on Korea’s Star Golden Bell, a K-pop performance competition, and Korean Food Culture Day, an event through which students can demonstrate their Korea-related skills and enjoy Korean culture.

Students make gimbap, Korean rice rolls, for Korean Food Culture Day during Korean Studies Week.

During my early days in Kazakhstan, I often heard the saying, “Nothing is possible or impossible in Kazakhstan.” Any Korean who has experienced paperwork in Kazakhstan can sympathize with the negative connotation of the phrase. Unlike in Korea, where things are often done quickly, one must spend at least a whole day to get a simple document from official institutions in Kazakhstan. If one is unlucky, two to three days may pass before receiving the document. However, I gained a new perspective on Kazakhstan thanks to my colleagues and students at KazNU. While things may be handled differently here than in Korea, I have come to focus more on the Kazakh-style positive attitude shown by people who always smile and say “все нормально” (“everything is okay”), making nothing impossible. Last year, when classes were conducted online due to the COVID-19 pandemic, both students and professors had a hard time adapting to the new format of teaching and learning. However, students produced special Hangeul Day videos with messages showing their love of the Korean language, exemplifying “все нормально” and its meaning of “nothing is impossible.” I have had a great time teaching my students and learning from them.

“My Favorite Korean Words” — students write messages on Hangeul Day.

Three years ago, my students and I went to the exhibition Dokdo: Beautiful Island of Korea in Almaty. My students, all of whom were from landlocked Kazakhstan, had never seen the Korean island before, although it was only present in photographs. We promised to visit Dokdo someday. As a person whose profession is teaching Korean language, I hope to find more diverse ways to introduce Korean culture to my students. I also hope that I can take my students to visit Dokdo in person—not just through photos—when the pandemic comes to an end.

To the students of KazNU’s Department of Korean Studies, I say: nothing is impossible and “все нормально!”

Al-Farabi Kazakh National UniversityKF Visiting Professor Jang Won-ki

Al-Farabi Kazakh National UniversityDepartment of Korean StudiesProfessor Jang Won-kinothing is impossible