The Academy of Korean Studies once again supported the activities of Dr Ekaterina Lee, Senior lecturer of the ISU Institute of Philology, Foreign Languages and Media Communication, aimed at the development of Korean studies in Siberia and the Russian Far East. A grant in the amount of $20,000 has been assigned to conduct courses for Korean language teachers.

The courses held at ISU are the only ones in Russia that allow local teachers and researchers of the Korean language to improve their qualifications.

Dr Ekaterina Lee says:

Only one or two Russian lecturers can participate in similar courses held in Korea. We can accept up to 30 people. At the same time, the content of the courses is comparable to those conducted in Korea, as teachers from leading Korean universities deliver their lectures. At this moment, we invite teachers from Siberia and the Russian Far East to take part, but in the future, of course, we would like to invite people from all around Russia.

The first courses for Korean language teachers in the Siberian region were held at ISU in 2018. At that time, the programme consisted only of linguistics and teaching methodology of the Korean language. Later, the programme was expanded to Korean studies in general, including history, culture, politics, and economics.

In 2019, within the framework of the courses, the Association of Korean Studies in Siberia was established. The purpose of the Association is to improve the quality of teaching the Korean language and Korean studies, and to encourage research in the field of Korean studies.

The courses are held annually (except for 2021, due to the pandemic restrictions) with the support of the Academy of Korean Studies and the Consulate General of the Republic of Korea in Irkutsk.