Column
Understanding Korea Project Activities in Russia
Changyun Jeong
National Institute for International Education, Education Research
I was appointed director of the Korean Education Center in Rostov-on-Don in August 2015 and started working in the Korean embassy in Russia starting in December 2015 due to local circumstances. At the time, there was no education center at the embassy, so I took over the educational services of the embassy as a delegate of the Ministry of Education.
The Embassy’s educational affairs were diverse, ranging from selection of overseas Korean language programs undertaken by the Ministry of Education, Korean language education support in the CIS region, selection of student recipients of government scholarships given by the National Institute for International Education, supervision of government-sponsored international students, and support of Korean-language schools for overseas Koreans. The jurisdiction of the embassy was also very large. It covered 53 of the 85 federal subjects and 5 of the 8 federal districts of Russia including Central, South, North Caucasus, Volga, and Ural federal districts.
I was also in charge of AKS’s Understanding Korea Project. I had heard about this project during trainings for overseas education center directors, but I wasn’t sure how to go about promoting a correct understanding of Korea in Russia while also successfully carrying out my many other duties. I thought of the saying “Heaven helps those who help themselves,” and I made up my mind to analyze the current status of my work and do my best.
At the time, the embassy was actively working to improve the quality of information about Korea in Russian textbooks. Some of their activities included visiting Russian textbook publishers and sending letters to publishers. I had the opportunity to visit the publisher “Russkoe Slovo,” and asked the associate editor to improve the Korean content in the textbooks. The Russian textbook publishers were receptive to our requests and promised to correct errors as much as possible. This visit gave me a boost of confidence, and my determination to further the work grew.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs was also directly involved in the Understanding Korea Project by conducting biannual reviews of the improvement of Korean related materials in foreign textbooks. In addition to improving Korea related contents in Russian textbooks as mentioned above, the project also included the “Academy of Korean Studies-Russian Academy of Education Textbook Seminary” (AKS-RAE Textbook Seminar) to promote understanding of textbooks in each country and to build a network of textbook experts. In 2015, AKS invited Russian textbook officials to Korea and held the AKS-RAE Textbook Seminary. I heard at the time that the 2016 seminar would be held in Moscow.
I was introduced by AKS Division of the Understanding Korea Project’s Kihong Jang to the assistant director of the Russian Academy of Education who had visited Korea in 2015. I met the assistant director, and we discussed the issue of the 2016 AKS-RAE Textbook Seminar. We met many times to decide the main topic and sub-topics, presenters, schedule, and other matters related to the seminar. It was very rewarding to play a role in the planning of the 2016 AKS-RAE Textbook Seminary held in Moscow.
Based on my experience from 2016, I proposed two projects to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 2017. The first was to invite Russian textbook experts to Korea to directly experience the development of Korea and have positive contents about Korea reflected in their textbooks. The second was to produce Korea related supplementary materials for teachers in Russia. Russian history and world history textbooks had been changed to focus more on Russia, so it was getting more difficult to add contents related to Korea. Therefore, I wanted to provide materials for teachers to use in their classrooms so they could teach their students about Korea.
Funding from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs made it possible to bring two people from the Russian publisher Prosveshcheniye to Korea, including the director of the Humanities Center. Producing supplementary material related to Korea for Russian teachers proved to be more difficult due to disagreements amongst the Russian textbook officials. Fortunately, we received much help from the director of the Humanities Center of Prosveshcheniye after her returned from his trip to Korea with AKS’s Division of the Understanding Korea Project, and we were able to complete the publication.
Meanwhile, it was Korea’s turn to host the AKS-RAE Textbook Seminar in 2017. Originally, four people had planned to attend from Russia, but RAE decided at the last moment they could only purchase one flight for someone to attend the seminar. Luckily, there were some funds remaining from inviting the Russian textbook officials earlier that year. I spoke to the ambassador about our difficulty regarding the seminar and received permission to use the money to buy tickets for two more people from Russia. We were able to successfully hold the 2017 AKS-RAE Textbook Seminar. I was once again reminded of the saying “Heaven helps those who help themselves.”
In 2018, I again secured funding from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to invite textbook experts to Korea and to produce Korea related materials for Russian teachers. In 2017, we had invited executives from textbook companies. In 2018, however, we invited authors who had actually participated in the creation of the supplementary materials. This was the first time these authors had visited Korea, and this trip instilled in them a correct perception and good impression of Korea. I believe that the textbooks they will author in the future will contain a factual and positive image of Korea. The supplementary material was reinforced by introducing geography and culture and adding history, politics, and society contents in 2017. I am as proud as a parent when I think that these textbooks will be used in Russian schools to teach students about Korea.
I would need much more space to describe here all of the details and difficulties of the Understanding Korea Project in Russia, but I am glad to be able to share part of the work we have been doing. Russia is the largest country in the world geographically, and Russians have a very strong sense of pride, patience, and perseverance. Therefore, if we want to help Russians understand Korea better, we must respect their opinions, be patient, and become their true friends. Through AKS’s Understanding Korea Project, I hope that we can not only help Russians understand Korea properly, but also that more understanding can be built between Korean and Russian people and that the relationship between Korea and Russia will grow stronger.
The Embassy’s educational affairs were diverse, ranging from selection of overseas Korean language programs undertaken by the Ministry of Education, Korean language education support in the CIS region, selection of student recipients of government scholarships given by the National Institute for International Education, supervision of government-sponsored international students, and support of Korean-language schools for overseas Koreans. The jurisdiction of the embassy was also very large. It covered 53 of the 85 federal subjects and 5 of the 8 federal districts of Russia including Central, South, North Caucasus, Volga, and Ural federal districts.
I was also in charge of AKS’s Understanding Korea Project. I had heard about this project during trainings for overseas education center directors, but I wasn’t sure how to go about promoting a correct understanding of Korea in Russia while also successfully carrying out my many other duties. I thought of the saying “Heaven helps those who help themselves,” and I made up my mind to analyze the current status of my work and do my best.
At the time, the embassy was actively working to improve the quality of information about Korea in Russian textbooks. Some of their activities included visiting Russian textbook publishers and sending letters to publishers. I had the opportunity to visit the publisher “Russkoe Slovo,” and asked the associate editor to improve the Korean content in the textbooks. The Russian textbook publishers were receptive to our requests and promised to correct errors as much as possible. This visit gave me a boost of confidence, and my determination to further the work grew.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs was also directly involved in the Understanding Korea Project by conducting biannual reviews of the improvement of Korean related materials in foreign textbooks. In addition to improving Korea related contents in Russian textbooks as mentioned above, the project also included the “Academy of Korean Studies-Russian Academy of Education Textbook Seminary” (AKS-RAE Textbook Seminar) to promote understanding of textbooks in each country and to build a network of textbook experts. In 2015, AKS invited Russian textbook officials to Korea and held the AKS-RAE Textbook Seminary. I heard at the time that the 2016 seminar would be held in Moscow.
I was introduced by AKS Division of the Understanding Korea Project’s Kihong Jang to the assistant director of the Russian Academy of Education who had visited Korea in 2015. I met the assistant director, and we discussed the issue of the 2016 AKS-RAE Textbook Seminar. We met many times to decide the main topic and sub-topics, presenters, schedule, and other matters related to the seminar. It was very rewarding to play a role in the planning of the 2016 AKS-RAE Textbook Seminary held in Moscow.
Based on my experience from 2016, I proposed two projects to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 2017. The first was to invite Russian textbook experts to Korea to directly experience the development of Korea and have positive contents about Korea reflected in their textbooks. The second was to produce Korea related supplementary materials for teachers in Russia. Russian history and world history textbooks had been changed to focus more on Russia, so it was getting more difficult to add contents related to Korea. Therefore, I wanted to provide materials for teachers to use in their classrooms so they could teach their students about Korea.
Funding from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs made it possible to bring two people from the Russian publisher Prosveshcheniye to Korea, including the director of the Humanities Center. Producing supplementary material related to Korea for Russian teachers proved to be more difficult due to disagreements amongst the Russian textbook officials. Fortunately, we received much help from the director of the Humanities Center of Prosveshcheniye after her returned from his trip to Korea with AKS’s Division of the Understanding Korea Project, and we were able to complete the publication.
Meanwhile, it was Korea’s turn to host the AKS-RAE Textbook Seminar in 2017. Originally, four people had planned to attend from Russia, but RAE decided at the last moment they could only purchase one flight for someone to attend the seminar. Luckily, there were some funds remaining from inviting the Russian textbook officials earlier that year. I spoke to the ambassador about our difficulty regarding the seminar and received permission to use the money to buy tickets for two more people from Russia. We were able to successfully hold the 2017 AKS-RAE Textbook Seminar. I was once again reminded of the saying “Heaven helps those who help themselves.”
In 2018, I again secured funding from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to invite textbook experts to Korea and to produce Korea related materials for Russian teachers. In 2017, we had invited executives from textbook companies. In 2018, however, we invited authors who had actually participated in the creation of the supplementary materials. This was the first time these authors had visited Korea, and this trip instilled in them a correct perception and good impression of Korea. I believe that the textbooks they will author in the future will contain a factual and positive image of Korea. The supplementary material was reinforced by introducing geography and culture and adding history, politics, and society contents in 2017. I am as proud as a parent when I think that these textbooks will be used in Russian schools to teach students about Korea.
I would need much more space to describe here all of the details and difficulties of the Understanding Korea Project in Russia, but I am glad to be able to share part of the work we have been doing. Russia is the largest country in the world geographically, and Russians have a very strong sense of pride, patience, and perseverance. Therefore, if we want to help Russians understand Korea better, we must respect their opinions, be patient, and become their true friends. Through AKS’s Understanding Korea Project, I hope that we can not only help Russians understand Korea properly, but also that more understanding can be built between Korean and Russian people and that the relationship between Korea and Russia will grow stronger.
