Focus on Korea

24 November 2006

A Korean dignitary has opened UNSW Korea Week.

Ms Hyeh Won Kim, the Vice President of the Korea Foundation, an independent organisation affiliated with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, has officiated at the event.

Others attending the opening ceremony included Young Kuk Park, the Consul General of Korea, who spoke of the strong economic ties between the two countries, but warned that understanding between the two peoples remains scant.

UNSW Korea Week includes a forum on Australians’ perceptions of Korea, a symposium on the representation of Korea in Australian school textbooks, a roundtable discussion on Korean identity/identities, a Korean language pedagogy workshop and Korean film nights.

UNSW Korea week was hosted by the Korea-Australasia Research Centre (KAREC), which is jointly located in the Faculties of Business and Arts and Social Sciences.

KAREC recently became the leading research and education hub for Korean studies in Oceania and South East Asia, after being officially endorsed by the Korean government. The endorsement, which was given to only four overseas universities, involves a grant of $1.5 million over five years.

For more information, go to the KAREC website.