CEFIA News

The Center for International Affairs of the Academy of Korean Studies held an "Online Textbook Seminar for Educators of Ecuador" for four days on September 6-9. The online training program was attended by officials from major Ecuadorian textbook publishing houses -- Don Bosco, CEN, Edinun, and Santillana.

As inviting the participants was difficult due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the online platform ZOOM was used to hold a textbook seminar from September 6 to 7, and lectures on Korea from September 8 to 9. The program demonstrated Ecuador's strong interest in Korea since besides the two Ecuadorian speakers, officials from the publishing houses and the Korean Embassy in Ecuador attended the seminar and lectures.

In the textbook seminar, Korean participants, including speakers and researchers at the Division of Understanding Korea, and Ecuadorian participants, including education and textbook experts, discussed the two countries' curriculum and textbook systems, Korean textbook policies, Korea-related contents in Ecuadorian textbooks, ways to develop materials that can increase Ecuadorian understanding of Korea, and Korea-related contents that can be included in Ecuadorian textbooks. Particularly, participants expressed strong interest in the Don Bosco textbooks revised in 2021 which contained a variety of contents related to Korea. (14 textbooks, contain 15cases of Korea-related contents)

In the lectures on Korean culture and Korean literature, participants had an opportunity to broaden knowledge of Korean history, culture and literature. Ecuadorian participants said they felt familiar and were deeply interested in the lectures because they included a lecture on Korean culture by a foreign speaker and another one on Korean literature held in Spanish.

The online training on Korean culture helped the Ecuadorian textbook experts increase their interest in and understanding of Korean education, history, and culture. The Academy of Korean Studies will continue to make efforts to promote mutual understanding of students from both countries by using textbooks and other materials.

The 89th Societas Koreana Lecture Meeting was held on September 15, 2021 (Wednesday), at the Academy of Korean Studies. The lecture was held online (via Zoom) in compliance with the social distancing guidelines to prevent the spread of COVID-19. The lecture was given by Professor Javier Cha of Seoul National University under the theme of "Digital Humanities: The Korean Trajectory."

Professor Javier Cha spoke about the trends and prospects of the digital application of Korean studies data. Mentioning that digital application of the Korean studies data stated in the 1960s with the establishment of a database of 14,600 people who topped the civil service exam during the Joseon Dynasty, he introduced various collections of historical records that can be freely viewed nowadays. The professor said that the high level of accessibility allows Korean scholars to engage in pioneering and experimental researches that are difficult to be carried out in other regions.

Diplomats from foreign embassies in Korea and officials who attended the lecture had time to learn about the impact of digitization of information on research on Korean history and culture and examine some projects related to digitalized Korean studies. Participants shared questions and opinions in a question and answer session that followed the lecture. The contents of the lecture will be put on the Societas Koreana YouTube channel.