The Division of International Support for Korean Studies held the 190th Colloquium on Korean Studies Abroad on Thursday, June 5, 2025, at the Grand Conference Room of Munhyeongwan Hall. The recipients of the 2025 AKS Fellowship, Arya Prasad (PhD candidate, Jawaharlal Nehru University) and Christopher James Wearden (PhD candidate, SOAS, University of London), presented the findings of their fellowship research.

Prasad presented on the topic of “Internationalization of Higher Education as a Tool for Soft Power Expansion: A Case Study of International Students from Asia.” Based on her analysis of the experiences of Asian international students residing in Korea, she explained that Korea’s internationalized higher education and systematic advantages led to the formation of a positive impression and contributed to the expansion of soft power. She further emphasized that in order to strengthen this impression, which was formed through the experience of actually residing in Korea, researcher exchange programs must be expanded.

Wearden presented on the topic of “Understanding colonial-era domestic travel accounts through Social Identity Theory (SIT).” Utilizing social identity theory and the concept of “contact zones,” he analyzed the travel accounts of Korean tourists written during the Japanese colonial period. He explained that the records, which describe the imperialist hierarchy and discrimination faced in train cabins, train stations, and inns, influenced the formation of a collective identity and historical impressions, such as that of a “ruined country.”

Many researchers and graduate students attended the colloquium, sharing diverse opinions. The Division of International Support for Korean Studies will continue to provide such opportunities for communication between researchers from Korea and abroad.