Oxford University To Launch Centre For Korean Studies

LONDON, April 25 (Bernama-Yonhap) -- Oxford University plans to launch a centre for Korean studies as early as October to boost research in Korean culture, language and history, professors leading the project have said, Yonhap News reported. 

The university will announce the establishment of the Oxford Centre for Korean Studies during the official public opening of Oxford's Stephen A. Schwarzman Centre for the Humanities on Saturday.

The centre's establishment, led by Jieun Kiaer, James Lewis and Chi Young-hae of the university's Korean studies programme, received final approval from a faculty meeting last month.

The centre will oversee Korea-related research and lectures, and promote further research in modern Korean politics, economy and literature.

It marks the latest addition of such a centre at the university, following the establishment of centres on Japanese and Chinese studies in 1981 and 2008, respectively.

Lewis, a professor of Korean history, told Yonhap News Agency that Europe as a whole will likely be inspired by the envisioned centre's long-term research.

Another senior faculty meeting last month decided on the need for a Korean studies centre, noting the importance of Korea as a subject of research and student interest in the country's soft power, especially its popular culture.

Kiaer, a professor of Korean linguistics, noted the importance of English-language scholarship on Korean culture for its longevity, saying the centre will serve as a hub for such research.

-- BERNAMA-YONHAP