Korean Association of Foreign Student Administrators and Chonbuk National University to sign a cooperation agreement with St Petersburg University
A delegation from Chonbuk National University, one of the leading state-funded universities of South Korea, visited St Petersburg University. During the meeting with the representatives of St Petersburg University, issues of framework cooperation agreement extension, academic exchange organisation as well as prospects for the development of the Russia–Korea relations in the field of higher education were discussed.
Sergey Andryushin, SPbU Deputy Rector for Foreign Affairs, drew the participants' attention to the fact that the University is actively developing its networking with the universities of the Republic of Korea in the field of humanitarian and scientific exchange. "We have recently opened a representative office of our University at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies. It will become a foundation for further expansion of cooperation with all Korean universities," — said Sergey Andryushin. "In addition, SPbU Rector Nikolay Kropachev is Chairman of the Russian Coordination Committee of the "Russia – Republic of Korea Dialogue" forum and takes an active part in the implementation of educational and cultural projects between our countries. Thus, he is promoting the popularisation of the works of the great Korean writer Pak Kyongni in Russia."
Yoon MyeongSook, Vice Rector for Foreign Affairs of Chonbuk University, who is also head of the Korean Association of Foreign Student Administrators, spoke about the annual ranking of the Korean universities (the total of 456) listing Chonbuk University, considered the second state-funded university of South Korea, among the top 10 universities in the country. Today, our Korean colleagues are looking for ways to further develop their research projects, academic mobility programmes and humanitarian exchange process. Ms MyeongSook noted that for Chonbuk University SPbU is the priority university in Russia. Firstly, it is still a world-renowned scientific centre; secondly, SPbU comprises the oldest school of Korean studies in Russia; and, finally, the name of St Petersburg University is inseparably associated with the Northern Capital of Russia attracting the attention of millions of travellers annually.
Sergey Andryushin highlighted that St Petersburg University was the first university in the Western Hemisphere, where, over 120 years ago, students started to learn the language and history of Korea. Today, SPbU is the major centre of comprehensive Korean studies in the country. Further expansion of these studies will be facilitated by a new academic department of SPbU. Special attention should be paid to the development of scientific networking, encompassing natural sciences among the other fields. In particular, within the framework of the agreement on scientific exchange, scientists from Korea can access the unique equipment of the SPbU resource centres.
One of the factors of increasing attention to Russian universities among Korean academic institutions, in addition to changes in the domestic and foreign policy with the arrival of the new president (read more in the interview with Woo Yoon-keun, Secretary General of the National Assembly of the Republic of Korea), is the growing interest in the Russian language at the national level. "A few months ago, a law on the status of foreign languages was adopted in Korea, with Russian being listed as a language of special importance," Professor MyeongSook commented.
At the end of the meeting it was decided to begin the process of coordinating the protocol on student and scientific exchanges between St Petersburg University and Chonbuk University. Ms MyeongSook noted that any member of the Korean Association of Foreign Student Administrators will be able to join this agreement and participate in exchanges with SPbU on a par with Chonbuk University, this rule being applied to all universities that are part of the Association.
The guests expressed their hope that the first participants of such bilateral programmes will be able to take part in an exchange programme at the end of this year, and invited several students and teachers of St Petersburg University to enrol on a short-term cultural and educational programme at the expense of the host party in the near future.