Foreign Students Visit Korea amid Rising Global Interest in Korean Literature

The KF has been active in nurturing pro-Korean scholars from overseas communities. It has provided scholarships to graduate students of Korea-related majors, to the benefit of some 3,300 students from 52 countries. (image: KobizMedia/ Korea Bizwire)

SEOUL, July 5 (Korea Bizwire) – Korean literature attracted international attention with Han Kang’s ‘The Vegetarian’ winning the 2016 Man Booker International Prize. And to add to the heightened interest, the Korea Foundation (KF), which operates under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, is hosting what it calls a ‘Korean Literary Workshop for International Doctoral Program Students’.

A total of 23 students of Korean literature from 11 universities around the world, including the University of Tokyo, the University of London, and the University of Minnesota, will participate in the workshop. 

The KF has been active in nurturing pro-Korean scholars from overseas communities. It has provided scholarships to graduate students of Korea-related majors, to the benefit of some 3,300 students from 52 countries. Deborah Smith, who translated The Vegetarian, was also among the recipients of a scholarship from the foundation.

The visiting students will have the opportunity to attend lectures offered by local and foreign professors, discuss a wide range of topics such as the current state of Korean literature abroad, research methodology for Korean literature, and literary research trends in different countries of Korean literature. 

They’ll also get a chance to meet Oh Jung-hee, a veteran Korean novelist, to explore the oeuvres of Korean writers, and Omura Masuo, an honorary professor from Waseda University, who will share his experience as a foreigner studying Korean literature. 

Furthermore, they’ll get a chance to visit some of the most renowned literary sites in Korea, including the Yoon Dong-joo Literary Museum and the Kim You-jeong House of Literature. 

“If we can nurture more of these students who research not just our literature, but also our history, culture, and society, they will provide an important foundation that will help promote Korea in international communities,” said Lee Si-hyeong, chief director of the KF.

By Lina Jang (linajang@koreabizwire.com)