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네이버 공유 카카오 공유 트위터 공유 페이스북 공유

First Study Korea Program for Japanese Educators

From November 8-22, the Korea Foundation held its first Study Korea Program for Japanese Educators in cooperation with Seoul National University? School of International and Area Studies (Dean: Cho Dong-sung). This program was conducted as part of the Korea-Japan Educators Exchange Program inaugurated by the Korea Foundation and the Japan Foundation to commemorate the co-hosting of the 2002 World Cup finals by Korea and Japan. Twenty-five Japanese teachers were selected to participate in the program from eight prefectures and cities throughout Japan, including such sites of the 2002 World Cup as Osaka, Shizuoka, Niigata, and Kobe. The program comprised lectures on Korean history, culture, and Korea-Japan relations, along with visits to noteworthy historical and cultural sites. This effort followed a similar visit made by 25 Korean school teachers to Tokyo and Hyo-goken from September 20 to October 4 this year. This successful exchange of visits has thus established a basic framework for the Korea-Japan Educators Exchange Program.
The Korea Foundation first proposed the Korea-Japan Educators Exchange Program to the Japan Foundation in 1998. By promoting exchange visits of secondary school teachers who are responsible for educating tomorrow? leaders, this program is designed to enhance educators understanding of each other? history and culture and thus enable them to teach about each other? country from a more balanced perspective. For this reason, the program has generated much interest and attention, especially since this comes at a time of improving Korea-Japan relations, as evidenced by the co-hosting of the 2002 World Cup and Korea? opening of its cultural market to Japanese pop culture.
Administered by the two leading exchange organizations in each country, the program seeks to provide an unbiased, two-way exchange of information with a focus on examining how each side? culture and history has been treated in each other? country, what similarities and differences existed, and the basis of such views. The lectures consisted of ten sessions that covered a general introduction of Korea, including Korea-Japan relations and Korean history, culture, society, education, politics, and economics, all of which were presented in Japanese and included a comparative analysis of the societies and systems of the two countries. Each lecture was followed by a question-and-answer session, while various lectures were combined with field trips to related sites. Thus, the lecture on Korean politics and North-South relations was followed by a visit to the Unification Observatory, the lecture on Korea? educational system was followed by a visit to a Korean school, and the lecture on traditional Korean music was followed by a visit to a traditional music concert.
One of the most notable stops on the itinerary was the visit to the high school associated with Seoul National University? College of Education. Participants were eager to visit a Korean school to see Korea? educational system at work and exchange views with both teachers and students. During the visit, the Japanese teachers sat in on actual classroom lessons and held discussions with their Korean counterparts. Some sensitive issues, such as the question of the wartime ?omfort women and the sovereignty of the Dokdo islets, were raised, but the Japanese teachers took it well and responded with an appropriate seriousness and sincerity.
After the lectures in Seoul, the participants departed on a five-day trip to visit a number of cultural and historical sites around Korea, including Buyeo and Gyeongju, the ancient capitals of the Baekje and Silla kingdoms, as well as Andong and Beopjusa Temple, which were once centers of Korea? Confucianism and Buddhism. The trip also included a visit to the Independence Hall, where the participants were able to learn more about the unfortunate history between Korea and Japan.
Perhaps inevitably, this first visit of Japanese teachers revealed various shortcomings in the program. Many participants indicated that they would have liked to have spent more time visiting Korean schools, including middle schools, and possibly home-stay visits. Nonetheless, Okamoto Shinichi, a geography teacher at a middle school in Kobe, remarked: ?efore this trip, I only knew Korea as a place famous for its kimchi, bulgogi, and bargain shopping. But after I got here, I found out that Koreans have a much greater interest in and knowledge of Japan than most Japanese realize, which I found very surprising. Indeed, seeing is believing.
As this sentiment indicates, the real significance of this program lies in providing Japanese teachers with the opportunity to visit and learn about Korea firsthand. In this way, when these teachers return to Japan and tell their students about their visit to Korea, the students will be able to understand Korea better and see it less as ? country so close yet so far and more as one that has become a little bit closer.



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