CEFIA News

The Division of Understanding Korea Project held the “Textbook Seminar for Educators of USA” from Tuesday, April 22, to Sunday, April 28, 2025. Textbook specialists from the United States were invited to increase their understanding of Korea, share information on learning materials as well as the textbook systems and educational publishing trends in each of the U.S. states, and discuss measures for expanding content related to Korea in U.S. textbooks and educational materials.

The president of the Academy of Korean Studies, Dr. Nak Nyeon Kim, met with the specialists from the U.S. to exchange in-depth thoughts on the Korea-related information covered in U.S. classrooms and the background of Korea’s economic advancement and social development. Furthermore, they discussed each state’s educational system and the diversity of textbook systems, while seeking out measures to strengthen mutual understanding and educational cooperation within the historical, social, and cultural contexts of both countries.

The two days of seminar presentations and lectures began with welcoming remarks from Yelee An (Director, Center for International Affairs) and an introduction to the Academy of Korean Studies and the Understanding Korea Project by Daehwa Lee (Head, Division of Understanding Korea Project). In the seminar’s first session, Sunjoo Kang (Professor, Gyeongin National University of Education) introduced the history and key characteristics of the 2022 Revised Curriculum and suggested Korean history topics connected with the main topics covered in U.S. history education. Presenters from the U.S. included Craig Benjamin (Professor Emeritus, Grand Valley State University), who spoke on ancient Korea in world history, and Heather Salter (Professor, Northeastern University), who spoke on modern and contemporary Korea in American world history textbooks. Both presenters participated in the compilation of Traditions and Encounters: A Global History, a world history textbook published by McGraw-Hill. Discussions on the possibility of increasing Korea-related content in the next revised edition of the textbook were also held.

In addition, Noel Haynes (Director, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt), spoke on the trends in the American K-12 publishing market and the spread of digital learning after the Covid-19 pandemic, offering ideas for the improvement directions of Korean content. In a presentation entitled “Representing Korea in U.S. Textbooks: Trends and Educational Applications,” Dahee Kim (Researcher, Division of Understanding Korea Project), introduced the characteristics, errors, and areas of improvement regarding the Korea-related content that frequently appears in American social studies textbooks, providing examples of improvements made through Understanding Korea activities and suggesting diverse Korea-related topics based on the educational curriculum of each U.S. state.

Furthermore, Hyukeun Kwon (Senior Researcher, Kyujanggak Institute for Korean Studies, Seoul National University) and Yeongshin Shim (Professor, Soongsil University) gave talks on the respective topics of “Korean Modern History under Imperialism and the Cold War” and “The History of Korean Buddhist Art” (with a focus on pagodas and statues), which helped participants to better understand Korea’s history and culture.

Participants were also taken to visit key sites in Seoul, such as Gyeongbokgung and Changdeokgung Palaces, as well as the historical sites in Gyeongju, allowing them to directly experience Korea’s historical value and traditional culture.

This seminar served as an opportunity to gain a broad understanding of the. educational system and textbook revision periods, the trends of the publishing market, and the state of digital learning in the U.S. Directions for cooperation on the expansion and improvement of Korea-related content in American textbooks were discussed in depth, and the participants shared that they would actively incorporate the knowledge gained through this seminar in U.S. classrooms, expanding information on Korea in future textbook revisions. Furthermore, plans were made to continue sustainable educational cooperation based on the human network formed through this seminar.

The Division of International Support for Korean Studies held the 103rd Societas Koreana Lecture Meeting on Thursday, April 24, 2025, at the Westin Josun Seoul Hotel. Dr. Anna Yates-Lu (Professor, Seoul National University) spoke on the topic of “Pansori: Storytelling through Song,” introducing the themes and musical expressions of pansori.

As part of her talk, Dr. Yates-Lu carried out a pansori demonstration, allowing attendees to vividly experience the ways of expression in pansori. In particular, Dr. Yates-Lu’s performance of Simcheongga at the end of her lecture evoked deep emotion and moved the hearts of many of the attendees. After the talk, attendees actively asked questions, showing a great interest and curiosity toward pansori. In particular, their questions demonstrated an interest in the diverse ways in which pansori can be modified, such as the potential of fusing pansori with other musical genres and whether there are cases in which pansori has been sung in foreign languages.

A video of the lecture will be made available on the Societas Koreana YouTube channel in the future.