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According to specialized literature, the development of Asian Studies displays two central tendencies. The first, area studies, evolved primarily in US universities. The second, post-colonial studies, evolved primarily in European universities. More recent research on Asian Studies in the United States suggests a new tendency, namely the creation of research and public outreach centers rather than academic study programs.

In Latin America, Asian Studies emerged somewhat later, influenced by both area studies and postcolonial studies. In Argentina, the first undergraduate major in Oriental Studies was created in 1967 (at the Universidad del Salvador), within the framework of a UNESCO project. Following this, several other Asian Studies programs emerged at different public and private universities. In the past decade, for the first time ever, several graduate programs focusing on Asia Pacific or China have appeared. Notwithstanding the recent "bppm" in Asian Studies, Korean Studies still remains quite marginal.

Why hasn't Korean Studies taken root? What attempts have been made and why have they failed? This article analyzes the evolution of Korean Studies in Argentina from their origins to the present date. It argues that one of the principle obstacles to the development of Korean Studies in Argentina has been the creation of centers without academic programs of study and the dependence on external funding which makes projects unsustainable in the long run.

I. Introduction

Egypt holds an important geopolitical position between Asia, Africa, and Europe. As such, it has long been a center of culture and a hub for cultural exchange. Korea has had formal diplomatic ties with Egypt since 1995, the year after the death of North Korea's Kim Il Sung. Given Egypt's geopolitical advantages, one could say that Korean studies in Egypt is very important to Korean studies in regions like Africa and the Middle East. Since the establishment of diplomatic relations between Korea and Egypt, the number of Egyptian students studying Korean language at Ain Shams University and the Korean Culture Center in Egypt has continued to rise. 2020 marks the 15th anniversary of the establishment of the Department of Korean Language at Ain Shams University. During the 15 years since the establishment of the department, Ain Shams University's Department of Korean Language has been recognized for its development, both in terms of size and quality. This development plays an important role in solidifying Korean studies in Africa and the Middle East, and it also serves as a catalyst for promoting exchange between Korea and Egypt. The purpose of this study is to promote the establishment of Korean studies abroad by examining the current situation of Ain Shams University's Department of Korean Studies and the important factors that led to the establishment of Korean studies in Egypt.

Ⅱ. Main subject

1.The History of Korean Language Education in Egypt
Korean language education in Egypt began in 1994, one year before the establishment of official diplomatic relations between Korea and Egypt. Funded by the Ministry of Culture and Public Information, a classroom was prepared at the Korean Embassy in Egypt, and the embassy recruited a class of students to learn beginner level Korean. At that time, the lecturer for the beginner level classes were chosen from Korean students in Egypt who had an interest in Korean language education. The following year (1995), an intermediate course was added, and another lecturer was hired. Each lecturer taught one class. The Ministry's funding was suspended in early 2000, and the classes at the embassy, which was the only place to learn Korean in Egypt, were canceled. However, through the hard work of the embassy, classes were restarted in 2003. In 2014, a Korean Culture Center was established in Cairo which hosts a Sejong Institute. Today, the general public can learn Korean language and culture at the Institute.

Ain Shams University established the Department of Korean Language in 2005. At the time, the Mistry of Foreign Affairs and the Korea Foundation visited Ain Shams University and Cairo University to decide where to establish the department. After weighing several different factors (including the opinions of Korean students who had studied in Egypt for long periods of time and knew about Egypt's educational institutions), they decided on the Faculty of Al-Alsun (languages) at Ain Shams University. Cairo University may have seemed like the obvious choice because it is better well-known to people on the outside. However, the Korean students who were intimately aware of the intricacies of Egypt's educational institutions suggested that the Faculty of Al-Alsun at Ain Shams University would be better, so they decided on the Faculty of Al-Alsun at Ain Shams University. The establishment of the Department in 2005 was the first time such a program had been established in a formal university in the Middle East or Africa. In the years that have followed though, many universities have received funding from KOICA to start teaching Korean including in Egypt: Helwan University in Cairo, the High Institute for Tourism and Hotels in Alexandria (Egypt's second largest city), the High Institute for Tourism and Hotels in Luxor, the Port Said Youth Center, and the Egyptian Ministry of Defense Language Institute. Aswan University in Egypt's southernmost city, Aswan, established a Korean Department in September 2016. Currently, many universities around Egypt are actively interested in established Korean language departments. In fact, some are preparing for Korean language departments by hiring graduates of Ain Shams University to build their programs. (Kafr El-Shaikh University in the Nile Delta region in the north and Sohag University in the south.)

2. Ain Shams University's Faculty of Al-Alsun (languages)
Ain Shams University was founded in 1950 under the name Ibrahim Pasha's University (a governor of Egypt and Sudan under the Ottoman Empire), and is now known as Egypt's premier center of higher learning, comprising fifteen colleges and two research institutes on seven campuses in the middle of Cairo. Ain Shams University is considered one of Egypt's top three national universities along with Cairo University and Alexandria University. Ain Shams University's Faculty of Al-Alsun was started by Egypt's royal family in 1835 as part of a modernization plan and as Egypt came into contact with powerful Western countries. It was started as a school to train interpretation and translation experts. The Faculty of Al-Alsun became a college in Ain Shams University in 1973. Its mission is to nurture talented students who can acquire diverse cultures and knowledge from around the world. With fourteen departments and teaching a total of seventeen languages, it continues to grow as the premier translation and interpretation school in Egypt. In 2005, the Department of Korean Language became the thirteenth department in the school. Students at the Faculty of Al-Alsun have the second highest college entrance exams after students at the School of Economics and Cairo University. The Faculty of Al-Alsun is the greatest languages college in Egypt.

3. Korean Language Instructors at the Faculty of Al-Alsun
As of 2019, the Department of Korean Studies at the Faculty of Al-Alsun had six Korean instructors: two visiting professors funded by the Korea Foundation, one volunteer from KOICA, and three volunteer instructors recruited locally. Each year, the local teachers appoint the graduating students with the highest scores to be teachers in the Department of Korean Language. These teachers include one student who completed a PhD in Korea at the beginning of this year, eight students who have completed master's degrees, and five students working on master's degrees in Korea or Egypt. These students teach Korean language while completing their own studies. Up until now, there have been 25 graduates of the Department of Korean Language who went on to teach in this fashion. Currently, there are fourteen teaching Korean at the school. Of the remaining eleven, five are studying in Korea, four are taking time off from school for personal reasons, and two have quit working. This means that there is a total of 23 instructors in the Department of Korean Language.

From the time the Department was established until the first students graduated in 2009 and some were hired as teachers in 2010, the Korean language instructors in the Department were all Korean. After the student teachers started participating in some of the Department's courses in 2011, the number of local teachers who teach courses has grown to fourteen. In addition, the local instructors also teach Korean language to the general public at the university's Wahdat Lipa Department (named after the founder). This language center teaches Arabic and other languages to the general public. They also provide Korean translation and interpretation services. If a determined number of students enroll for a language center class, then the class will be taught. If not, then the class is automatically cancelled. The Korean language classes started in 2013.

It is noteworthy that the Department of Korean Language has two visiting professors funded by the Korea Foundation. This is a rare occurrence around the world, but it is a very important factor for the stability and development of the Department of Korean Language. The reason that two visiting professors have been provided is because of the role and need of these two professors. One of the professors is responsible for the academic progress of the department, while the other professor is responsible for understanding the local education scene so they can communicate between the department and the university and oversee the functioning of the department. Of course, one person might be able to fulfill both roles, but my opinion is that asking one person to do both would be very difficult.

4. Current Status of Undergraduate and Graduate Studies in the Department of Korean Language
The Department of Korean Language has been able to grow into the best Korean language education institute in the Middle East and Africa thanks to the human and material support provided over a long period of time by the Korea Foundation and KOICA as well as the steady inflow of elite students into the program. All students of the Department of Korean Language are high school graduates with high scores. The fact that students with excellent learning ability continue to enroll in the Department of Korean Language's program can be seen as a very positive factor in Korean language and Korean studies progress in Egypt. So far, the Department of Korean Language has played an integral role in establishing Korean studies in the Middle East and Africa while introducing Korean culture and language in the region. A master's degree program was established in 2009 and has been continuously run. As of 2019, 270 undergraduates have graduated from the program, ten master's degrees have been conferred, and one PhD student has received a degree. Up until 2015, of all students entering the Faculty of Al-Alsun, the students selected to enter the Department of Korean Language were always ranked second after the Department of Japanese Language. However, in 2016 through 2019, the incoming students of the Department of Korean Language ranked the highest of all thirteen departments in the Faculty of Al-Alsun. This shows that the Department of Korean Language is regarded extremely highly by the university and students.

Currently (2019-2020 academic year) there are 147 students enrolled in the Department of Korean Language: 130 undergraduate students and 17 graduate students. Of the PhD candidates who are acting as teachers since finishing the MA in 2015, one has received their PhD, and three are currently writing their theses.

5. Characteristics of the Department of Korean Language
There are two notable characteristics of Ain Sham University's Department of Korean Language. The first is the unique curriculum of the school where each semester consists of 20 hours of major courses. The second is that the students entering the program are very excellent.

The biggest characteristic of the Faculty of Al-Alsun is that all the departments are operated closely according to guidelines laid out by the school. The school's curriculum focuses on fostering excellent interpreters and translators, as seen in the school's founding purpose. The school's method for doing this is twofold. First, every semester after the student's first semester includes over 20 hours of major coursework. Second, the coursework focuses on practical skills as can be seen from the curriculum described earlier. The undergraduate curriculum is designed to help students be able to make practical use of Korean upon graduation. This not only helps students find jobs using Korean, but it is also a huge benefit to students who want to continue researching Korean studies in Korean. What I would like to emphasize here is that if a student can study Korean language before jumping into Korean studies, they will be prepared to do much deeper and meaningful research than those students who aren't familiar with the Korean language. Therefore, I plan to teach the importance of Korean language in Korean studies to Egyptian students who want to do research in Korean studies.

Another characteristic of the Department of Korean Language is that the students entering the program are excellent students. There are many factors that contribute to the development and life of Korean studies, but one might say the most important factor is the academic ability of the students entering the field. Ain Shams University's Faculty of Al-Alsun is known as the best language university in Egypt and as the language school where the best students apply. Considering that the best students among those who enter the Faculty join the Department of Korean Language, it can be said that the students entering the Department of Korean Language are the best students in Egypt. One of the department's biggest strengths is the graduates' ability to find jobs. In order for the Department of Korean Language to grow, graduates who have entered the workforce must be able to do their work well, and most of our graduates actually do very well in society and receive high marks from their employers. The future quality and continuity of Korean studies depends on the quality of researchers in Korean studies. In this regard, I predict growth of Korean studies at the Department of Korean Language at Ain Shams University and that the department will become a hub for Korean studies in the Middle East and Africa.

6. Characteristics of the Department of Korean Language Courses
There are two main characteristics of courses in the Department of Korean Language. First, because the Korean and local instructors are divided among the classes, students are able to get the most out of the courses due to the proper use of language during class time. Second, students who will continue to pursue Korean studies and become leaders in the field in the Middle East and Africa take major courses and write their theses in Korean language in graduate school.

In undergraduate courses, the rule is to use Korean language whenever possible. However, the instructors sometime also use Arabic or English. The amount of Korean spoken by the instructor during class time is determined by their nationality. In general, instructors from Korea use Korean almost exclusively. While the local instructors mainly use Korean, they also use Arabic sometimes. First and second year courses are typically taught by Korean instructors, so the students are exposed to courses taught nearly entirely in Korean from the start. The higher third and fourth level courses are more taught by local instructors, but because the students have already become accustomed to using and hearing Korean, these classes are also carried out in Korean except for special cases. Currently there are more local instructors than Korean (6 Korean instructors and 14 local instructors), but the total number of hours taught by Korean instructors and local instructors is similar. If possible, we assign one Korean instructor and one local instructor to each class. This allows the local instructors to learn what is needed for the class from the Korean instructor, and the Korean instructor can supervise the local instructor. I believe it is very helpful to the students to have one Korean instructor and one local instructor in each level.

The next characteristic of the Department of Korean Language is in the graduate program. In the graduate program, we have intentionally taught Korean language major courses in Korean. This is because we know that this will be of immense help to Korean studies majors when they go on to do research in the future. After this process, we require students to write their theses in Korean. By studying Korean studies in the Korean language, the students are able to take their research to the next level. So far, ten MA theses and one PhD thesis have been completed in Korean. Of course, there are benefits to studying Korean studies in the student's native language rather than Korean, but I believe there are more benefits to studying Korean studies in Korean rather than a foreign language. Additionally, I believe it will contribute to the future of Korean studies if researchers study Korean language in order to research Korean studies as well as having the other necessary conditions.

7. Department of Korean Language Events and Club Activities
The Department of Korean Studies is known as the most active department among the fourteen departments of the Faculty of Al-Alsun. The Department of Korean Studies continues to carry out various events related to Korea, including a Korean Speech Contest, Middle East-Africa Korean Studies Seminar, the Literature Translation Institute of Korea's Essay Contest, Korean Culture Day, Korea-Egypt Youth Exchange, TOPIK, and scholarship awards ceremonies.

The most meaningful of all these events is the Korean Speech Contest, which has been held every year since 2006. This year was the 13th annual contest, and it has become an international event. Around seven times, participants have come from Jordan, Tunisia, Morocco, Ethiopia, Kenya, and the United Arab Emirates. The Korean Speech Contest has become the most important speech contest for anyone who speaks Korean in Egypt.

The next most important event is the Middle East-Africa Korean Studies Seminar funded by the Korean Embassy in Egypt. The seminar was first held to celebrate the Department of Korean Language's tenth anniversary in 2015, and it has been held annually for four years. We plan on holding the fifth annual seminar this coming November along with a new Middle East-Africa International Korean Studies Conference. The seminar's purpose is to solidify Korean studies' place in the Middle East and Africa, and it is an opportunity for regional scholars to gather, share research, and discuss the development of Korean studies. In the future, the seminar will serve as the base for further growth in the Africa and Middle East region.

Students in the department have independently created clubs and groups including a samulnori group, translation group, and K-POP group. Through these groups, the students meet voluntarily to study Korean language and learn about Korean culture. The samulnori group has also participated in events held by the embassy and Korean communities.

This year, the embassy has created a special video program called "As-salaam 'alykum Cairo" (Hello, I'm Cairo). The video project introduces Korea and Egypt at the same time and is being uploaded to YouTube. A total of 20 episodes have been filmed, and they are being uploaded to YouTube twice a week. It is similar to Non-Summit, a television program produced by Korea's JBTC broadcasting company. The project focused on things people would want to know about Korea or Egypt or information that people might have misconceptions about. The participants discussed these issues in a roundtable format. The most interesting thing about this program is that it was filmed in Egypt rather than Korea, the participants were Egyptians rather than Koreans, and the whole program is in Korean rather than Arabic or English. Of the fourteen participants on the program, ten participants were either graduates or current students of the Department of Korean Language at Ain Shams University. The embassy was able to create this program and spread important information to the citizens of Korea and Egypt thanks to the Department of Korean Language and the excellent skills of the students.

8. Employment Status of Graduates of the Department of Korean Language
The first class of undergraduate students to graduate from the Department of Korean Language was in 2009. Nearly 270 students have graduated from the program. The breakdown by cohort is as follows: 28 students in the first cohort, 19 in the second cohort, 25 in the third cohort, 26 in the fourth cohort, 24 in the fifth cohort, 8 in the sixth cohort, 20 in the seventh cohort, 30 in the eighth cohort, 23 in the ninth cohort, 30 in the tenth cohort, and 34 in the eleventh cohort. Graduates typically are employed by Korean companies in Egypt, such as Samsung Electronics, LG Electronics, GS Engineering and Construction Corp., Doosan, POSCO, Hankook Tire, and Hyundai Rotem. Some students also find employment at Egyptian companies that have ties with Korea like Ghabour Auto (Egypt's largest auto manufacturer). Some also work in Korean companies or embassies in other Arabic countries like Dubai, Abu Dhabi, or Kuwait, while still others work at the Korean Embassy in Egypt, the Korean Culture Center, or KOTRA. In addition, some graduates are employed by embassies of Arabic countries in Korea, and some graduates live and work in Korea. Some also work in Muslim majority countries in Asia like Malaysia. The students in the Department of Korean studies are the most talented academically and the elite of all students in Egypt. Therefore, our graduates have advanced into various fields and are playing a role in connecting not only Korea and Egypt, but also Korea and all regions of the Arab world. The future looks bright for further progress and growth. The most important factor in our graduates receiving such excellent results is not necessarily the Korean language skills that they obtain through our programs. Rather, they also gain a deep understanding of Korean society through education on Korean culture. Korean companies in Egypt, like Samsung Electronics and LG Electronics, recognize the benefits of having the Department of Korean Language in Egypt and have given much material and moral support for the development of the department. The fact that employers have highly rated the work skills of the graduates of the Department of Korean Language shows that the department will continue to grow in the future.

Ⅲ. Conclusion

This article has explained the establishment, characteristics, and current status of the Department of Korean Language at Ain Shams University. In conclusion, I would like to mention three factors which made it possible for the Department of Korean Language to take root in Egypt.

First, the most important factor in the beginning was choosing to establish the Department of Korean Language at the most appropriate university for teaching Korean, Ain Shams University. This was possible due to accurately understanding the local educational situation in Egypt. When Korean studies programs are opened at overseas universities, the most important thing is to choose the university which has the greatest potential for growth and development. In order to make this important decision, we must follow the advice of local experts who live and know the educational situation of the target country.

The second factor is the active and steady support from the Korea Foundation, KOICA, the embassy, and the Korean Culture Center. The Korea Foundation continues to ensure the smooth running of the department by funding two visiting professors, and KOICA's volunteer instructor has been an enormous help in making sure the Korean language classes are run properly. The embassy and the Korean Culture Center helped the department become the active department it is today through supporting activities such as the Korean Studies Seminar, the Korean Speech Contest, and the tenth anniversary event. The embassy plans to continue supporting the Korean Studies Seminar so the Department of Korean Language can continue in its role as a central hub of Korean studies in the Middle East and Africa regions.

The third factor is the role of department graduates. These graduates are well received by Egypt and Korea, and this has contributed deeply to the success the department has had in becoming an established program and its continued growth. Most of the employers who hire and work with the Department of Korean Language graduates have offered deep thanks to the program. I believe that this indicates a bright future for the department.