Correspondent

I had an opportunity to stay in the Netherlands and Belgium for study purposes. While I was there, I came across and learned various disciplines and cultures and exchanged with diverse kinds of people. In doing so, I became curious about Korea anew as the country seemed to have much more than what I knew about it. Thankfully, I had the opportunity to work part-time in a Korean Language School and the cultural center. There, I made an effort to have an objective image of Korea while introducing Korea and discussing in the club or with exchange students. With such experience, I have analyzed the general image of Korea in the Dutch-speaking countries in Europe based on the textbooks for students and other materials.

1. Building the image of Korea

1.1. Textbook
I examined the recognition of Korea that can be had if one comes to know about Korea in the curriculum. The educational courses in the Netherlands are largely divided into the elementary education course and the secondary education course, and students come to learn about Korea during the upper grades in elementary school. Still, we cannot affirm that most elementary students in the Netherlands know about Korea as many textbooks do not mention Korea. Even if Korea is mentioned, in most cases, Korea is briefly introduced in a geography textbook as a country located near Japan or China.

During the first 3 years of the secondary education course (for 6 years), students learn more deeply about other regions of the world with an integrated geography textbook. If the students use a textbook that mentions Korea, they will be able to learn the basic location, economic level, etc. of Korea. The frequency of mentioning Korea increases in the Social Studies textbooks during the upper grades in the secondary education course. Nonetheless, we cannot affirm that the people who finish the secondary education course will be well aware of Korea because subjects such as economics, history, geography, etc. are not combined in one Social Studies textbook but are elective subjects. Since all the individual Social Studies textbooks do not mention Korea, we cannot affirm that the students who finish the secondary education course in the Netherlands will have sufficient knowledge of Korea, assuming they learn about Korea only through textbooks.

The keywords used in the textbooks for the description of Korea are “the only divided country in the world,” “Economic Tiger of Asia” and “a sound country with excellent state-of-the-art technologies.” What is not omitted in the history textbook when mentioning Korea is the Korean War. Korea is depicted as a country that received the help of the UN with the US in the lead and a country under ceasefire suffering the pain of one nation divided into two.

Moreover, in general, Korea is introduced in social studies, geography, or economics textbooks as a country that made something out of nothing after the war and developed beyond imagination, becoming an example for other developing countries with its rapid development. Korea is generally recognized as a nation leading the IT and semiconductor industries among the 4 Tigers of Asia and possessing tremendous technologies with large companies such as Hyundai and Samsung. What is interesting is that the zeal for children’s education is highlighted as the impetus for such great development.

1.2. Media other than textbooks
1.2.1. News, newspaper, websites, and books
With good access, the media above can be used for learning about Korea even if a person is not that interested in Korea. We can often see major newspapers or news channels in the Netherlands and Belgium mention the situation of Korea. Especially, articles and news about the movement of North Korea are receiving much attention in the Netherlands and Belgium as in other nations in the world.

In the case of cities, academic materials or books are displayed in the East Asia section in the library of Leiden University. Several municipal libraries in the Netherlands also have books related to Korea. In Belgium, it is possible to see books and materials written in Dutch, French, and English introducing Korea in several libraries in the cultural center. Likewise, there are many books written in Korean in the East Asia section of the central library of the University of Leuven, which continues to receive donated books.

It cannot be overlooked that Internet materials are also an important media in the formation of image of Korea since it is believed to be the most popular and fastest way for the youth in the Netherlands and Belgium to become aware of Korea. If the materials searched on the Internet are interesting, they become more curious about Korea and come to the library actively and voluntarily to learn more about Korea by reading the books and materials displayed in the library.

1.2.2. Institutes related to Korea: University, Korean language school, cultural center
Since there is no Korean cultural center opened in the Netherlands, Dutch people can have the opportunity to learn about Korea in the Department of Korea at the university and Korean language school among the institutes mentioned above. In the case of Belgium, all of the institutes such as departments related to Korea, Korean language school, and Korean cultural center exist in the country. The reason those institutes are deemed to contribute to the formation of an image of Korea is that they have been established for the promotion of Korean language and culture, and they actually provide a venue for exchanges between the two nations and Korea. Taekwondo schools have been excluded since they concentrate on the sport of “Taekwondo” itself, not on the concept of “Korean Taekwondo.”

In the case of university, Leiden University is attracting people who are interested in Korea as the only university with a Korean department in Dutch-speaking countries. Leiden University is working hard to have the best Korean department in Europe with the effort of distinguished professors and researchers. In addition to Leiden University, it is possible to take classes related to Korea in the Department of East Asia at the University of Amsterdam and University of Groningen, etc. In Belgium, one can learn about Korea in the University of Leuven and University of Gent where East Asia studies are popular.

Finally, in the case of the Netherlands, education on Korean as a foreign language is conducted for the local residents at the Korean language school, in addition to the classes provided for the children of Korean expatriates and Korean government officials and sojourning employees dispatched by companies from Korea. Besides language, it is possible to learn Korean culture, tradition, and etiquette. In Belgium, Korean language education institutes are divided into Korean language school and King Sejong Institute for children and adults, respectively. Both institutes are contributing to the promotion of in-depth Korean culture through various events and activities in addition to teaching Korean language. Meanwhile, the Korean Cultural Center is advertising Korean culture to more diverse subjects.

1.2.3. Private diplomats: expatriates, students studying abroad, and exchange students
I think the people in this category can play an important role in promoting Korea. Actually, they are contributing to the formation of the image of Korea by exchanging with foreigners. Nonetheless, they should have a correct image of Korea before promoting the image of Korea to foreigners. Private diplomats do not merely convey the image of Korea; they also need to form a correct image of Korea. There are no specific predetermined objects of PR, but they convey the image of Korea to people in a natural way. They can introduce Korea to the local people whom they exchange with or to the exchange students from other countries who are in the same situation of learning foreign cultures. In fact, while I was there, I had discussions and debates with friends who came from Japan and China to correct each other’s prejudices.

Moreover, as the only Korean member in the club, I had the opportunity to introduce Korea to my friends naturally. It may be slightly different for students who major in science and technology, but a characteristic of the classes in Europe is that they are mostly done by presentation and debating. Thus, I had more opportunities to introduce or give a presentation about Korea. Regardless of one’s major, however, it will not be easy to introduce oneself, talk with others, or reveal oneself effectively if one does not know about Korea well.

2. Problems and limitation in the process of forming an image of Korea

2.1. Textbook
The educational courses in the Netherlands are divided into the elementary education course and the secondary education course, and Korea begins to be mentioned in elementary school. Nonetheless, we cannot affirm that most elementary students in the Netherlands know about Korea as many textbooks do not mention Korea. Even if Korea is mentioned, in most cases, Korea is briefly introduced in the geography textbook. The frequency of mentioning Korea increases in the Social Studies textbooks in middle and high school. Still, we cannot affirm that the people who finish the secondary education course will be well aware of Korea because the subjects of economics, history, geography, etc. are not combined in one Social Studies textbook but are elective subjects rather than compulsory subjects. Since all the individual Social Studies textbooks do not mention Korea, we cannot affirm that the students of the Netherlands who finish the secondary education course will have sufficient knowledge of Korea, assuming they learn about Korea only through textbooks.

In addition, while it is true that Korea has accomplished remarkable development in a short period of time as one of the Tigers of Asia -- and I do not deny the valuable effort made for such an accomplishment, the emphasis of success by diligence based on a big sacrifice will have to be reexamined. In this regard, the spotlight cast on the excessive zeal for children’s education in Korea has to be reconsidered. As Europeans put more emphasis on the quality of life than anything else, such image of Korea could hinder the establishment of an image of Korea contributing to making a bright and healthy world.

In addition, I saw no textbook that corrected the controversial marking of the “Sea of Japan,” which I think is the most serious problem. We must keep asking for its correction as there are many related problems.

2.2. Mass media and books
People are easily exposed to news or newspaper articles that give an opportunity to pay attention to Korea. While they prevent the classification of Korea as a strange country, they do not provide further information aside from that. They may also lack professionalism or accuracy.

The central library of the University of Leuven in Belgium received a massive volume of book donations, but such fact is not well-known. Leiden University has more books on Korea than before, but they are still far from sufficient. Moreover, while reading is the hobby of many European students, and even though most students speak English well, books written in Dutch are more easily accessible. Therefore, it is a shame that there are not enough materials about Korea written in Dutch.

2.3. Institutes related to Korea
The interest of the students in the Department of Korea is leaning too much on the culture of Korea. Though the interest in Korean culture is a good motivation to learn about Korea, too much concentration on culture can form a wrong recognition. Thus, various kinds of support should be given for balanced researches. We should bear in mind that knowledge of the Korean society and history is helpful to the formation of a correct image of Korea.

In addition, we should not ignore the disadvantages that can be faced by the Department of Korea due to the strong power of the Department of Japan or the Department of China. The Department of Korea was separated from the Department of Japan; due to such history, the Department of Korea keeps many books translated from the viewpoint of Japan. I am worried that the translated books and materials donated by the nearby Department of East Asian Studies can cause the formation of a wrong image of Korea.

There is a need to learn about Korea in Belgium, too. In major universities such as University of Leuven and University of Gent, the Department of East Asian Studies is strong; note, however, that only a couple of classes about Korea have been opened, and it is difficult to conduct in-depth researches about Korea. Due to such inferior conditions for support of research on Korea, some Belgian students come to the Netherlands, which is 4 hours away by car, to study Koreanology.

In addition, we must beware of the phenomenon of language and mathematics education being emphasized and Korean history being neglected in the Korean language school. If the atmosphere of overheated education for university admission is formed in the school, the essential education on the children’s identity will be threatened. The children attending the Korean language school gave many presentations about Korea in the history class at the local schools, and I think this had a direct influence on the European students more than textbooks. I believe it is necessary to supervise the correct formation of identity of students and recognition of history to contribute to the positive image of Korea.

The Korean cultural center is not easily accessible by Europeans who think it is a little strange to have an institute that publicizes cultural exchanges as well as a nation. It is necessary to make an approach according to the local situation through those who can breathe and sympathize with the local society, in addition to official works and holding of events.

2.4. Private diplomat
It is a shame that some Korean residents in Europe have conflicts with their parents or possess a wrong recognition of Korea, and a wrong or a distorted image of Korea is conveyed through them.

Moreover, some students studying abroad and exchange students think that they are there only to learn the language and a different culture. Thus, they try to learn about the new country, but it is not easy to learn about the new country and its culture unless there is some kind of exchange of give and take. What is clear is that both excessive toadyism and nationalism are dangerous. While it is important that one knows properly about Korea, if one reacts emotionally to what the people of the new country say or gives a groundless answer, such can contribute to the formation of a wrong image of Korea.

3. Suggestion of solutions

While it is important to correct the textbooks, it is necessary to furnish more accessible basic booklets and materials for the in-depth promotion of Korea based on textbooks. It is also crucial to make different approaches to fit the situation and educational level of each nation instead of distributing the same booklets containing only basic information uniformly all around the world. For example, the Republic of Suriname, a Dutch-speaking country outside Europe, wants to learn Korea’s experience of economic development. Even in Belgium, the image of Korea is quite different between the Dutch-speaking region and the French-speaking region due to the different educational level. The Dutch want to learn about other countries with curiosity about the world as world citizens. Especially, the Dutch are very familiar with the issues in North Korea and are very much interested in human rights. Leiden University is conducting active researches on North Korean Studies in cooperation with the Association of North Korean Defectors. In addition, since the Netherlands has a painful history of “comfort women” (sex slaves), the two nations have a common issue to share. Thus, we need to understand the relationship between Korea and the other country and capture the interest of the other country in Korea as well as what the other country wants to learn from Korea. Furthermore, different methods of PR should be applied according to the degree of interest and objects of PR.

In addition, we need to foster talented people who know the local situation very well in the Department of Korea. The purpose of grasping the local situation is to understand their interest, satisfy their curiosity to the fullest, and examine how they came to gain the image and opinion of Korea that they have.

I value the good function of the summer semester or exchange semester provided for the students who major in Korean Studies through various programs. Nonetheless, I think it would be better if the students are given the conditions and opportunity to be able to research and understand about Korea more deeply in their country in addition to the attraction of foreign students to Korea. I believe exchanges are important to prevent Korea from being pictured only by imagination. Of course, it is the responsibility of the departments concerned at the university; many books besides the books translated from Japanese books should be furnished for easy access by people who are interested.

I also think that an undistorted image of Korea can be formed by Korean expatriates or students studying abroad who are familiar with the local situation. In this regard, efforts should be made for the improvement of the quality of classes in Korean language schools so that the expatriates could have a correct recognition of Korea first. In addition, more books and materials should be provided for the creation of a base for PR of Korea. The teachers are replaced in a shorter cycle due to the characteristic of a foreign country, and it will be better if online lectures or booklets could be provided for study en masse. Then the Korean language school will become an educational institute that lets the students think about their identity beyond simply delivering knowledge. Similarly, King Sejong Institute will have to foster talented people possessing comprehensive knowledge of the culture, history, and general social affairs instead of focusing on language only as an educational institute training new private diplomats.

“Are you from South Korea, or North Korea?” I hear this so many times whenever I say I am from Korea. I think the existence of Korea as a nation divided into South Korea and North Korea is impressed upon the minds of world citizens. In the formation of the image of Korea among the people living in the Dutch-speaking countries in Europe, the stage of simple PR of the existence of Korea is over; it is now necessary to make slightly more in-depth researches and examine if Korea is known properly. I think we should create an objective and healthy image of Korea together by discussing and debating with them instead of conducting unilateral PR of Korea. In doing so, Korea will be able to continue to shine brightly in the world in harmony with other countries.