The Siberian Regional Student Research and Practice Conference “The Republic of Korea: Past and Present” is taking place at ISU Institute of Philology, Foreign Languages and Media Communication. The conference is organized with the support of the Consulate General of the Republic of Korea in Irkutsk.

The opening of the conference was attended by the Consul General of the Republic of Korea in Irkutsk, Han Seong Jin:

I am glad that at the conference you can share knowledge, mentor each other, and help others on their research path. It will contribute to the development of Korean studies not only in Siberia, but also in Russia. I wish all participants to broaden their horizons and talk about their projects. I would like to express my gratitude to Irkutsk State University and all those present. I believe that the conference will contribute to the further strengthening and development of relations between the Republic of Korea and the Russian Federation.

The conference is interdisciplinary: the works cover various aspects of the historical development of the Republic of Korea, the peculiarities of its economic structure and other topics. The geography of the conference participants is quite wide, almost all regions of Siberia are represented, as well as Chelyabinsk and Ulan-Ude. The program includes sections with presentations by participants, as well by well-known scholars in Korean studies from leading universities in Russia — MSU, FEFU. The scholars will give their lectures and act as moderators at the conference sessions, where they intend to actively participate in the discussion of reports by novice researchers.

Konstantin Grigorichev, ISU Vice Rector for Research and International Cooperation:

In recent years, the intensity of events related to the development of Korean studies at ISU has sharply increased, bringing this field to a new level at the university and making ISU one of the leading centers for the study of the Republic of Korea and the Korean language in Eastern Russia.

The Consul General donated a national musical instrument, the Korean drum, to the Korea Center “Okno v Koreiu” [Window to Korea], as well as books that will be available in the Center’s library.