한국국제교류재단

Korean language students at the University of Helsinki must pass a highly competitive admissions test.

Greetings from faraway Finland! My name is Bokyung Kim, and I have been teaching Korean at the University of Helsinki’s Faculty of Arts since September 2019 as a KF visiting professor. The university is the oldest and most prestigious institute of higher learning in Finland.

Korean language education at the University of Helsinki dates back to 1934, when Altaic languages scholar Gustaf John Ramstedt (1873–1950) first began to teach the language. For a long time, Korean language was taught through the Korean studies program, but students can now major in it as an independent subject in the Asian languages division.

For quite some time, the Korean language program was maintained by the efforts of a sole professor, but there came a point at which the subject, in the face of ever-growing demand and diversifying expectations, needed more support. In 2019, I arrived as a KF visiting professor, and under our joint efforts, the program is running more vigorously than ever.

To meet students’ growing demand for courses on Korean language and culture, we teach such diverse classes as General Korean, Applied Korean, Advanced Korean, Korean Literature, Korean Composition, and Speech Styles. In order to provide opportunities for students to practice conversational Korean, we work with the Language Centre to organize language exchange events where students can speak with Korean conversation partners. The number of students seeking to major in Korean has increased markedly in recent years, casting extra attention on the subject among the Asian languages taught at the university. Students who apply to study Korean as a secondary or elective subject are also rising in number.

The Finnish language has a cultural concept termed sisu that is difficult to translate into other languages. Sisu reflects the painful history of Finland, which is located at the tip of Northern Europe, including its prolonged subjugation by Russia and Sweden. The concept embraces stoicism in the face of adversity, as well as courage, resilience, hardiness, and even calmness and stress management.

Since March 2020, all classes at the University of Helsinki have gone online due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Much like Korea, which shines brightly in times of crisis, Finland has been overcoming this difficult situation calmly, maintaining its status as the happiest country in the world. Students enrolled in Korean language classes diligently attend their online courses and complete their assignments.

I myself have been working to make the best use of the online learning space Moodle to continue to develop students’ Korean proficiency, building an evaluation module through which students can take tests online. To motivate them to study and practice in the face of the isolation induced by the pandemic, I produced a compilation of student writing titled Korean kirjallinen taito (Korean written skill), which seems to have boosted their confidence in and sense of pride about their Korean language skills.

In Northern Europe, there is a saying that goes, “There is no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothes.” I understand that this means that no matter how severe the weather may be, it is good to prepare for it and assume responsibility for the difficulties we might face, instead of blaming the merciless cold that persists for more than half of the year. Based on such understanding, I strive to find the most appropriate, if not the best, ways to cope with the given situation. I hope that the Korean language program at the University of Helsinki will not only continue to grow but also contribute to people’s happiness by fostering warmth and affection by means of the Korean language.

The front cover of Korean kirjallinen taito (Korean written skill) and an excerpt of the student writing included within.