The Division of Global Korean Studies

After several years of rigorous preparation, Korea University’s soon-to-be-established College of International Studies is proud to present a new, specialized degree program for Korea-centric social sciences. The new division, the Division of Global Korean Studies (GKS), will open in the spring semester of 2022. This ambitious program is geared towards both international and Korean students who are interested in studying Korea’s economy, politics, diplomacy, and developmental agenda.

Over the years, both the number of international students coming to Korea to study and the demand for Korean studies have increased rapidly. Jae-Seung Lee, Dean of the Graduate School of International Studies and the Division of International Studies (DIS), explains how Korea University recognized the need for a new approach to the provision of Korean studies that will best address this increasing demand. With the new GKS program expected to play a central role, the DIS will be transformed into the College of International Studies in 2022, a primary goal of the division since its establishment in 2002. Here, Korea University expects to offer both inbound and outbound global education within one institutional framework.

Jae-Seung Lee, Dean of the Graduate School of International Studies and the Division of International Studies. Photographed by Yoon Seok Jun



GKS and the Purpose of its Establishment

The Dean proudly argues that GKS will be the foundation for building a “stable Korean studies platform for international students,” all the while providing a “pioneering global platform for Korean students.” Open to both Korean and international students, admissions will mainly target international students, but there will be a quota for enthusiastic Korean nationals. The Dean also states that GKS will function as a one-stop platform for systematic Korean studies. International students will be able to engage in Korean studies catered to their needs and Korean students will have a chance to study Korea from a global perspective.

Unlike most existing Korean studies majors at other universities that mainly focus on the study of humanities, GKS will also offer social science-oriented Korean studies so that students can successfully apply their major on their professional career. This innovative Korean studies curriculum will allow GKS students to stand out and prove their competence in the job market after graduation.

Furthermore, GKS will become a hub for international interactions and the integration of local and international students. There is no other place at Korea University that is as multi-cultural as the International Studies Hall. GKS is expected to be a very comfortable and optimized multi-cultural setting, playing an important role in bringing students of different nationalities and cultural backgrounds together with the common goal of delving deeply into Korean studies. The new major also plans to provide inbound students with non-academic programs such as in-person counseling and a buddy system to help them adapt to a foreign country. “Korea into the World. The World into Korea” is the slogan that the Dean hopes to emulate with the successful launch of GKS next year.

Plans for an Extensive GKS Curriculum

The Dean states that “Korea has become a central pillar of the world economy, culture, and diplomacy. Korean studies programs thus need to view Korea from a global perspective.” Realizing the need for a new approach to Korean studies, GKS has decided to offer an extensive curriculum in both English and Korean. Students will be able to make their choice of language freely based on their language proficiency, mixing and matching languages as they desire.

Students in GKS will be able to take social science electives, including economics, commerce, business, and politics. In addition to regular lectures, GKS will provide supplementary sessions— such as Readings and Seminars for Korean studies—that will help further improve the students’ knowledge and understanding of Korea. Furthermore, those majoring in GKS at Korea University will be given individual guidance with programs specifically catered to their academic goals.

With the extensive curriculum and various extra-curricular opportunities planned for GKS, Korea University looks forward to developing leaders in Korean studies who will work on the global stage. The Dean adds, “GKS will prove its significance by functioning as ‘a flagship of Korean studies at the global level.’” To achieve this vision, a new batch of faculty members from a diverse range of disciplines specializing in Korean studies will join the division. The faculty of GKS will be structured to maximize the resources at Korea University.

The Dean expresses great enthusiasm about the GKS students who will arrive for the 2022 spring semester. He is certain that incoming students will exhibit three outstanding traits: passion, challenge, and leadership. “GKS students should be passionate about their field of study, challenge themselves in preparation for the global stage, and through their innate passion and challenging spirit, become ‘ambassadors’ for Korean studies on an international scale.” These three simple words symbolize the Dean’s high hopes for the incoming freshmen in the Division of GKS, the highly anticipated new major in the College of International Studies.