LINGNAN ENCOURAGES KOREAN STUDIES

Lingnan University's Centre for Asian Pacific Studies hosted a Workshop on Modern Korea last Friday, 30 May 2003. This was a new initiative designed to bring together people who are interested in Korea from across Hong Kong. The Korean peninsula is important to Hong Kong for economic, cultural, and political-strategic reasons, but it is comparatively under-studied in Hong Kong.

This Workshop brought together scholars, diplomats from both Koreas and other interested people to discuss a range of topics covering the economy, society, popular culture and politics of the two Koreas. According to Professor Brian Bridges, Associate Director of the Centre of Asian Pacific Studies (CAPS) and Convenor of the Workshop, "We believe that this is the first time for such a Korean studies conference to be held in Hong Kong".

It is intended that this Workshop will help to promote greater contact and exchanges amongst Korea-watchers in Hong Kong and also will be the forerunner of a regular series of meetings on Korea.

Lingnan University's new History degree programme is introducing a Korean history course; this is the only such course currently available at any tertiary institution in Hong Kong. Lingnan has also signed a student exchange agreement with one of South Korea's most eminent universities, Ewha University in Seoul, and student exchanges are scheduled to begin this autumn.