CEFIA News

The Division of Understanding Korea of the Academy Korean Studies held the "2022 AKS & NCERT Joint Working Committee Meeting" from October 30 to November 5, 2022. The workshop is being held regularly since the AKS and the National Council of Educational Research Training (NCERT) of India signed an MOU in June 2017. The two sides have been collaborating on curriculum and textbooks, ICT education, vocational training, and special education.

The workshop was accompanied by a seminar on Korean and Indian education and textbook, in which participants shared characteristics and direction of the curriculums of the two countries and the timetable for revising textbooks, and discussed ways to promote mutual understanding through textbooks. The participants paid a visit to the Ministry of Education, in which they reaffirmed cooperation in curriculum and textbook.

Regarding collaboration in the special education field, the participants shared the characteristics of the special education curriculums of the two countries and the direction of their revision. The participants paid a visit to Cheonan Inae School, where they had an opportunity to observe an education facility that operates special education curriculums of Korean elementary, middle and high schools in combination with diverse special education programs.

Regarding collaboration in the vocational training field, the participants attended the 2022Global Talent Forum, discussed collaboration projects being promoted with the Korea Research Institute for Vocational Education and Training, and visited the Seoul Robot School.

As for ICT education, the participants visited the Korea Education and Research Information Service to discuss the education policies of the two countries in the post-COVID-19 era and ways to share technology-based educational contents.

The workshop helped the two countries bolster the foundation for bilateral educational cooperation and strengthen cooperation and friendly relations between the AKS and the NCERT of India in a way to introduce and maintain relevant contents in each other's textbooks. India's world history textbook for 11th graders has detailed accounts of Korea's economic development and democratization thanks to the exchanges and cooperation based on the AKS-NCERT MOU. The AKS will continue to promote exchanges and cooperation with the NCERT so that Korea-related contents will be introduced and expanded in the general history and geography textbooks for 10th graders and younger.

The 94th Societas Koreana Lecture was held at the Korea Press Center on November 2, 2022. Under the theme of "Resplendence and Virtuosity of Goryeo Art," Prof. Kwon Cheeyun (Hongik University) spelled out the great artistic achievements of the Goryeo Dynasty in the areas of printing, ceramics, and painting.

Referring to the open, equal, and pluralistic social background of the dynasty, she emphasized that art played an important role in the political, commercial, and religious spheres of the Goryeo Dynasty. As a result, Goryeo produced splendid artworks and developed technologies to a high level.

Participants in the lecture, including ambassadors and diplomats stationed in Korea, shared their views in the question-and-answer session that followed the lecture. The entire lecture will be posted on the Societas Koreana YouTube channel.

The Division of Understanding Korea Project of the Center for International Affairs at the Academy of Korean Studies held "I Textbook Seminar for Educators of Ukraine" for seven days from November 6 to 12, 2022. In spite of the difficult situation in Ukraine, a total of four people, including two senior research fellows from the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine, an author of Ukrainian geography textbooks, and a professor of history participated in the training designed to bolster cooperation between the two countries on education and textbooks.

Through textbook seminars, they and Korean presenters, including researchers from the Division of Understanding Korea, examined the two countries' educational systems, textbook policies, trends in descriptions of the two countries in their respective social studies textbooks. On top of information sharing on education and textbooks of the two countries, the seminar participants discussed specific ways of bolstering cooperation in education and academic studies between the two countries. Through the Ukrainian presentation at the seminar, Korea-related content was expanded or added to the 9th and 10th grade geography textbooks. Also, it was confirmed that the legal basis for an independent description of Korea was laid in Ukraine for geography and history textbooks for 10th and 11th graders.

Most notably, Ukrainian participants showed keen interest in the lectures on Korea's history and economy. Sympathizing with the cultural commonality of the two countries, they suggested various ways to maintain and expand cooperative relations between the two countries. From a different perspective on the Korean economy, they demonstrated great interest in strengthening economic exchanges between Korea and Ukraine. In addition, in a lecture on the Korean War, the Ukrainian participants sympathized deeply with Koreans' memories of the Korean War, mentioning the current situation of their country and the horrors and cruelty of war in general.

Through a visit to a high school in Bundang and the Department of Ukrainian Studies at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies – the only university department of Ukrainian studies in Korea, the Ukrainian participants had the first-hand experience of the Korean school education. They also visited the DMZ in Paju to feel the ongoing pain and traces of the Korean War. Through their visit to Seoul, Suwon, and Incheon, they witnessed Korea's cultural excellence, long history and precious cultural heritage along with Korea's natural beauty while tracking historical exchanges between Ukraine and Korea. They also visited the Incheon Free Economic Zone, which built Songdo - a smart, futuristic city - and confirmed the excellence of Korea's IT that enabled the creation of the city.

Lastly, through their visit to Seoul Museum of History, Gwanghwamun, royal palaces, Jogyesa Temple, the National Folk Museum of Korea, Insa-dong, and Myeongdong in central Seoul, they saw that the international city keeps a balance between traditions and modernity – the source of the city's outstanding dynamism.

All the Ukrainian educators participated in each of the schedules; highly praised Korean culture, art, economy, and society; discussed with their Korean counterparts specific measures to develop broader relationship between Korea and Ukraine, including textbooks; and promised to strive to improve or expand Korea-related content in Ukrainian textbooks in the future despite the country's current difficulties.