Correspondent

1. Relationship Between South Korea and Poland

South Korea and Poland do not share a long history of diplomatic relations. Since establishing diplomatic relations with North Korea in 1948, Poland has maintained its relationship with North Korea to this day; in fact, the former is one of the countries where North Korea has an embassy. Thus, for the Polish people, when they are asked about Korea, North Korea is usually the first Korea that comes to mind. In 1989, Poland opened its embassy in South Korea, becoming a country that officially recognized both North Korea and South Korea.

It cannot be overemphasized how the establishment of diplomatic relations with Poland completely transformed the image of South Korea in the eyes of the Polish people. As of today in 2015, 26 years after the opening of the embassy, South Korea is not a country mistaken for North Korea in Poland but a country in which the Polish people have a deep-seated interest. Young people in Poland are enamored by Korean culture, such as its dramas and music. Thanks to the presence of South Korean private companies in the country and the energetic efforts of the Korean Cultural Center and embassy in Poland, the two countries are getting closer despite their short diplomatic history.

Nonetheless, a closer look into the relationship between the two countries will reveal that it grew only quantitatively, centered on economic exchanges. Because the relationship building focused too much on quantitative growth, Koreans and Poles do not fully understand each other, and misunderstandings have sometimes led to problems. Therefore, we believe that now is the time for the relationship to be elevated to more than the interest level, and that qualitative growth based on a proper understanding of South Korea must take root in Poland to match better the already achieved quantitative growth.

2. Status of Korean Studies in Poland

There are 44 higher education institutions in Poland as of 2015. The cities with the most number of universities are Kraków, Poznań, and Warsaw, each of which has five universities. Within Poland, higher education institutions that offer courses on South Korea can be found in Warsaw, Kraków, Poznań, and Wrocław. Among them, University of the Warsaw was the first to create a Korean Studies department, which is still in operation today. The Department of Korean Studies at University of Warsaw was established in 1983, which was before the establishment of diplomatic relations with South Korea. Next, there is the Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań, where the Department of Korean Philology became an independent department after being spun off from the Department of Turkic, Mongolian and Korean Studies. Next is the Jagiellonian University in Kraków. Strangely enough, the Korean Studies program here is affiliated with the Faculty of International and Political Studies and Korean Studies students study at this college for their majors. Wrocław selects students every two years -- including students for the Korean studies program -- but there are not that many students who choose Korean studies.

3. Demand for Korean Culture in Poland

As the capital city, Warsaw has the largest population in Poland; it has a Korean cultural center where citizens can get to know South Korean culture. The second largest city is Kraków. To the west of Kraków are satellite cities like Katowice with high population densities, which, if included, would probably make this area larger than Warsaw. Various cultural events are held in Kraków, befitting its reputation as a cultural city; for this reason, there is always heavy human traffic in Krakow. Poznań and Wrocław are both cities in the western part of Poland, but Poznań is the center of Korean Studies.

The number of embassies and consulates in a city has no correlation with Korean Studies, but the presence of a foreign mission could be seen as a barometer of the amount of interest and accessibility that the local population has toward foreign countries. With the exception of Warsaw, which has the most number of foreign embassies and consulates, Poznań and Krakow each have 18 foreign missions, and Wrocław has 8. According to Wikipedia, the city with the most number of foreign consulates is Kraków, followed by Poznań, Gdańsk, and Wrocław.

How is the Demand for South Korean Culture Met in Poland?

Interest in South Korean culture among the Polish people has seen an increasing trend for some time. Since 2012, the Korean Cultural Center has been successfully hosting a KOREA Festival every year, and concerts by K-pop bands like BAP have been a huge success. Many Polish bands also participated in the 2015 K-Pop Cover Dance Festival to show off their K-Pop dance moves. The 1,500 tickets to this festival were sold out in a matter of minutes.

When the demographics of each region are examined together with the location of universities offering Korean Studies, they seem to be well-balanced in the four major cities of Warsaw, Kraków, Poznań, and Wrocław. Note, however, that supply does not seem to be keeping pace with the demand. With the exception of universities, places where ordinary people can learn about Korea are limited to the cultural center and embassy in Warsaw and the King Sejong Institute in Poznań. People in Warsaw and Poznań can learn about Korea through these organizations. Given the small number of students and population, the demand in Wrocław is not expected to be very high. In Kraków, however, the demand for access to South Korean culture far exceeds supply. In comparing Japan, South Korea, and China in terms of the levels of cultural accessibilities, universities in Kraków offered degree programs in Japan studies and China studies. In the case of Japan, the Manggha Center of Japanese Art and Technology played the role of a Japanese cultural center, and a Japanese language institute offered courses as well. In the case of China, the Chinese government established the Confucius Institute (also affiliated with universities) in Kraków, playing an important role in promoting Chinese language and culture. Events related to South Korea mainly consist of seminars on Korean studies, K-Pop fan clubs, and KOREA Day festivals held by universities.

5. East Asia and South Korea in the Eyes of the Polish People

In recent years, interest in East Asia has been growing among the Polish people. They think of sushi when asked about Japanese food and regard Japanese cuisine as high-class dining; they also know the names of Japanese dishes when ordering in a restaurant. In addition, Polish people use Japanese words freely in their conversations. On the other hand, Korean dishes are often served alongside Japanese menus in Japanese restaurants; in extreme cases, Korean dishes appear on menus with Japanese names or translated into Polish without any reference to its Korean origins. It is frustrating to see Japanese restaurant owners in Poland taking advantage of Japanese cuisine’s sophisticated image.

Many Polish people attended the recently held KOREA Day festival and cultural exchange event. It was a confirmation of the growing interest in South Korea. While Poles formed the majority at Japan Day festivals, however, KOREA Day festivals attracted mostly South Koreans. Could such disparity be taken to mean that Japanese culture in Poland has progressed beyond the interest stage and has now become something that Poles enjoy as their own?

Many South Korean companies like Samsung, LG, and POSCO are actively engaged in business activities in all corners of Poland. Today, the number of people who are unaware that these conglomerates are South Korean is dwindling. Note, however, that opinions about Korean companies tend to vary from person to person.

Polish people in recent years have begun to show an interest in East Asia. South Korea, which established diplomatic relations with Poland 26 years ago, is no longer mistaken for North Korea. From the way South Korea-related events attract people, it can be seen that Pole has high interest in South Korea. Still, we hope that such interest will develop into something more than just curiosity, and that it will not be restricted to China or Japan. Furthermore, it will take more efforts to get the Polish people to understand South Korean people and South Korean culture sufficiently for them to start enjoying South Korean culture on their own.