Essay Contest Result
Notable Applications of Using Understanding Korea Materials
As a foreigner living in Korea, I realize well that the country's status is higher than ever before and that Korean culture is spreading in many different fields. In the eyes of the younger generation in particular, Korean pop culture is dominant all over the world. Korea, which had once been associated with its division into North and South Korea and the Korean War, has improved its image remarkably in recent years thanks to the efforts of industries, academia, the government, and individual citizens. In 2021, the 68th session of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) unanimously classified South Korea as a developed country, and South Korea's cultural competence was ranked 6th in the 2022Good Country Index.
South Korea's young, dynamic, and diverse pop culture known as hallyu, or Korean Wave, has created a global fan base of K-Pop, K-Movie, and K-Drama. The global interest in Korean culture has spilled over into the education sector, with many foreign schools choosing Korean as a second language, and Korea has become a favorite topic for cultural studies in foreign countries. Many of my friends of different nationalities want to learn more about the charms of Korea and ask me many questions.
The team members gathered around me for the task of presenting the outcome of a humanities and social studies research project to an international competition to be held at an academic camp in the United States during the vacation. It was no surprise that South Korea, the most popular country of our generation, has been chosen unanimously as the topic for presentation. We wanted to discuss more than hallyu. Our curiosity about the hot iconic country Korea encouraged us to use the project to learn about the roots of its beauty, including the history, culture, geography, and folklore. Having lived in Korea, I also felt a sense of mission to take this opportunity to tell the world all about the country. I knew from the start of my preliminary research that it was not going to be easy to fulfill everyone's expectations. South Korea's history is so long, its culture so diverse, and its modern history more complex than any other country that it requires greater knowledge of international affairs. We had no idea where to start. We needed to think deeply about the way to understand, research, and present Korea in an interesting way.
As the team leader, I searched for articles, books, and websites on Korea in both Korean and English. However, a majority of the library books on Korea were those on Korea's post-World War II geopolitics and international relations in the Far East. They were followed by academic resources analyzing Korea's booming economy. Sites that are easily accessible on the computer are mostly about shopping, popular tourist spots, and pop culture, while most historical and purely academic materials are in Korean, making it difficult for foreign team members to access them. It was not easy for me to satisfy the foreign team members’ academic thirst for learning about Korea.
We came to know the Academy of Korean Studies while contacting the Korean consulate and browsing the websites of various Korean government ministries. The AKS's English-language brochures and guides were a treasure trove for us. The AKS guided us on interesting, various levels of knowledge materials about Korea, from serious academic resources to those about folklore, which allows one to experience people from the past, and even geography. After going through the AKS resources, we were able to reestablish our plans for the Project-Based Research & Presentation task.
Among the many resources, 'Exploring Korea History through Heritage' was an excellent one that inspired us and helped us in setting the direction of our research. Many of Korea's places and cultures have already been globally recognized and listed by UNESCO. We decided to make a presentation about Korean history and culture by linking Korea’s historical timeline and 'Exploring Korea History through Heritage' to trace historical places and intangible culture and their stories along the timeline.
The first application of published materials gave us confidence to make more diverse attempts and broaden the range of materials we use. While translating and handling journals on folklore and dress from various periods and classes, we came to realize that Korean dress culture is in no way inferior to Western dress in terms of content and detail. All the team members felt love and infinite amount of pride for the research topic.
The research and presentation gave us the mystical experience that knowing and understanding a long history is like building a fortune. Our work and presentation brought about good result and received high praise. Throughout all the work and presentation, our team members appreciated the quality and detail of the materials.
The in-depth articles on a variety of topics in the periodicals provided background and showed examples of Korea, and the detailed descriptions, photos, and historical background knowledge were very helpful in the research and presentation. ‘Exploring Korea History through Heritage,’ which we received from Korea, was translated into many different languages, so I had no difficulty in studying and discussing it with my colleagues.
However, there were some problems.
First, 'Exploring Korea History through Heritage' was difficult to obtain. If ‘Exploring Korea History through Heritage’ is made more easily accessible to the general public through other means like e-books, it will greatly help foreigners understand Korea by utilizing high-quality materials in various languages.
Second, periodicals contain many useful articles on various topics. Unfortunately, many of these excellent articles are only available in Korean. This definitely cause limitation and inconvenience to foreigners. If more materials were translated into English and other languages, it would be a great help for foreigners studying Korea, and it would be easier to promote Korea.
Throughout the time for planning and completing the project, the Korea-related materials and publications of the AKS reminded me that I had been neglecting the opportunity to learn more about Korea. I also realized that learning about Korea through everyday life has an effect that goes beyond the transmission of culture through popular culture. The contents of the AKS are enormous. These materials will be a treasure trove of knowledge that will be very helpful for cultural exchange with people from different countries. They will also be the cornerstone of the second and third wave of hallyu, which, as we experienced, will spread Korea's charm.
- Korean Studies
⦁ Volume 160: The Impact of Differences in Jeju Dress on Joseon's 'Gat' Culture, Lee Min-ju, 2020
⦁ Volume 151, A Study of the Yeonhaeng Dress through the 『Kiwanbyeollok』, Lee Min-ju, 2018
⦁ Volume146, Features and Meaning of the Ceremonial Dress of Queen Inhyon, Lee Min-ju, 2017
⦁ Volume 129 [Planning], The Clothing Life of the Nobility Families in the 16th Century Seen Through the Dress Acquisition and Management: Focusing on the 『Miamilgi』, Lee Min-ju, 2012
2) The Review of Korean Studies
⦁ 14-1 Joseon in Color “Colored Clothes Campaign” and the “White Clothes Discourse”, Kim Seok-hee, 2011
3) ‘Exploring Korean History Through World Heritage’ The Academy of Korean Studies Press, 2014
South Korea's young, dynamic, and diverse pop culture known as hallyu, or Korean Wave, has created a global fan base of K-Pop, K-Movie, and K-Drama. The global interest in Korean culture has spilled over into the education sector, with many foreign schools choosing Korean as a second language, and Korea has become a favorite topic for cultural studies in foreign countries. Many of my friends of different nationalities want to learn more about the charms of Korea and ask me many questions.
The team members gathered around me for the task of presenting the outcome of a humanities and social studies research project to an international competition to be held at an academic camp in the United States during the vacation. It was no surprise that South Korea, the most popular country of our generation, has been chosen unanimously as the topic for presentation. We wanted to discuss more than hallyu. Our curiosity about the hot iconic country Korea encouraged us to use the project to learn about the roots of its beauty, including the history, culture, geography, and folklore. Having lived in Korea, I also felt a sense of mission to take this opportunity to tell the world all about the country. I knew from the start of my preliminary research that it was not going to be easy to fulfill everyone's expectations. South Korea's history is so long, its culture so diverse, and its modern history more complex than any other country that it requires greater knowledge of international affairs. We had no idea where to start. We needed to think deeply about the way to understand, research, and present Korea in an interesting way.
As the team leader, I searched for articles, books, and websites on Korea in both Korean and English. However, a majority of the library books on Korea were those on Korea's post-World War II geopolitics and international relations in the Far East. They were followed by academic resources analyzing Korea's booming economy. Sites that are easily accessible on the computer are mostly about shopping, popular tourist spots, and pop culture, while most historical and purely academic materials are in Korean, making it difficult for foreign team members to access them. It was not easy for me to satisfy the foreign team members’ academic thirst for learning about Korea.
We came to know the Academy of Korean Studies while contacting the Korean consulate and browsing the websites of various Korean government ministries. The AKS's English-language brochures and guides were a treasure trove for us. The AKS guided us on interesting, various levels of knowledge materials about Korea, from serious academic resources to those about folklore, which allows one to experience people from the past, and even geography. After going through the AKS resources, we were able to reestablish our plans for the Project-Based Research & Presentation task.
Among the many resources, 'Exploring Korea History through Heritage' was an excellent one that inspired us and helped us in setting the direction of our research. Many of Korea's places and cultures have already been globally recognized and listed by UNESCO. We decided to make a presentation about Korean history and culture by linking Korea’s historical timeline and 'Exploring Korea History through Heritage' to trace historical places and intangible culture and their stories along the timeline.
The first application of published materials gave us confidence to make more diverse attempts and broaden the range of materials we use. While translating and handling journals on folklore and dress from various periods and classes, we came to realize that Korean dress culture is in no way inferior to Western dress in terms of content and detail. All the team members felt love and infinite amount of pride for the research topic.
The research and presentation gave us the mystical experience that knowing and understanding a long history is like building a fortune. Our work and presentation brought about good result and received high praise. Throughout all the work and presentation, our team members appreciated the quality and detail of the materials.
The in-depth articles on a variety of topics in the periodicals provided background and showed examples of Korea, and the detailed descriptions, photos, and historical background knowledge were very helpful in the research and presentation. ‘Exploring Korea History through Heritage,’ which we received from Korea, was translated into many different languages, so I had no difficulty in studying and discussing it with my colleagues.
However, there were some problems.
First, 'Exploring Korea History through Heritage' was difficult to obtain. If ‘Exploring Korea History through Heritage’ is made more easily accessible to the general public through other means like e-books, it will greatly help foreigners understand Korea by utilizing high-quality materials in various languages.
Second, periodicals contain many useful articles on various topics. Unfortunately, many of these excellent articles are only available in Korean. This definitely cause limitation and inconvenience to foreigners. If more materials were translated into English and other languages, it would be a great help for foreigners studying Korea, and it would be easier to promote Korea.
Throughout the time for planning and completing the project, the Korea-related materials and publications of the AKS reminded me that I had been neglecting the opportunity to learn more about Korea. I also realized that learning about Korea through everyday life has an effect that goes beyond the transmission of culture through popular culture. The contents of the AKS are enormous. These materials will be a treasure trove of knowledge that will be very helpful for cultural exchange with people from different countries. They will also be the cornerstone of the second and third wave of hallyu, which, as we experienced, will spread Korea's charm.
The AKS resources that were most helpful to us
1) Periodicals- Korean Studies
⦁ Volume 160: The Impact of Differences in Jeju Dress on Joseon's 'Gat' Culture, Lee Min-ju, 2020
⦁ Volume 151, A Study of the Yeonhaeng Dress through the 『Kiwanbyeollok』, Lee Min-ju, 2018
⦁ Volume146, Features and Meaning of the Ceremonial Dress of Queen Inhyon, Lee Min-ju, 2017
⦁ Volume 129 [Planning], The Clothing Life of the Nobility Families in the 16th Century Seen Through the Dress Acquisition and Management: Focusing on the 『Miamilgi』, Lee Min-ju, 2012
2) The Review of Korean Studies
⦁ 14-1 Joseon in Color “Colored Clothes Campaign” and the “White Clothes Discourse”, Kim Seok-hee, 2011
3) ‘Exploring Korean History Through World Heritage’ The Academy of Korean Studies Press, 2014
[Encouragement Prize]
Lin Chiang
(Country of Activity : Taiwan)
Lin Chiang
(Country of Activity : Taiwan)
