The Korea Foundation’s global network of offices, in Washington, D.C., Los Angeles, Beijing, Hanoi, Berlin, and Moscow, will make concerted efforts to implement a variety of activities and support programs for recipient institutions around the world in 2011.

Washington, D.C. Office

Lee Kwang-chul Director, Washington, D.C. Office

Since its early days, the Korea Foundation’s support and exchange programs have tended to focus on the United States. The Foundation has thus steadily expanded its assistance efforts in Asia, the Middle East, and Central Asia in recent years. Yet, the United States and Canada remains a key region for the Foundation’s priority initiatives, in regard to Korean Studies, public diplomacy, and cultural exchange. In 2011, the Foundation will implement a variety of activities in the U.S. in cooperation with American universities, research institutes, and museums. The Washington, D.C. Office, which oversees 31 states in the eastern and central areas of the United States, and Canada, plays the role of a contact point, project administrator, and program monitor to assure that KF endeavors are effectively carried out through collaborative efforts with the KF headquarters in Seoul and the KF Los Angeles Office. In particular, this office will take over various programs from the KF headquarters and directly implement the related activities.
Major initiatives of the Washington, D.C. Office in 2011 include an exchange program in which 175 American students (at the college and high school levels) will visit Korea, operation of the Korean-language PR booth at the 2011 ACTFL (American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages), gathering of input and suggestions for the Korean Culture Festival events at U.S. universities, and opening of a Korean exhibition hall at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts. In addition, the office will plan and conduct various projects in conjunction with U.S. organizations, including the Smithsonian Museum and various universities, in order to address local demand for KF support programs and to render necessary assistance.

Los Angeles Office

Han Jae-ho Director, Los Angeles Office

For the Los Angeles Office, which opened last year, 2011 will be a crucial year. Through its activities in 2010, the office has succeeded in making its existence known to relevant parties in the western U.S. This year, the office will seek to build on this momentum and upgrade its assistance efforts. For universities and other institutions, which might be aware of the LA Office’s existence but do not know how to apply for KF program support, the office will provide necessary information about available assistance and help them apply for related program support.
The LA Office will also take over various program operations from the KF headquarters and make efforts to produce more successful outcomes. In particular, among Korea-related institutions in South America, which generally find it difficult to communicate with the KF headquarters due to geographical distance, the Catholic University of Chile, the University of Buenos Aires, the Association of Korean Studies of Argentina, and the Latin American Academy for Korean Studies will cooperate more closely with the Los Angeles Office.
The office will also administer financial assistance for the nine universities in the western U.S. that are members of the KF library consortium program, including Stanford University and the University of Colorado. This program enables U.S. university libraries to access Korean libraries and download content from Korean books and journals, so that students in the U.S. can take advantage of reference materials in Korea. This initiative is expected to contribute greatly to the mutual exchange and development of Korean Studies departments in the U.S. and Korea.

Beijing Office

Moon Sung-ki Director, Beijing Office

The Beijing Office will continue to serve as an active outpost for the Foundation’s activities in China. In addition, the office will make efforts to broaden its operational portfolio as well as its network of exchange and cooperation with relevant Chinese organizations and individuals.
The Beijing Office has so far provided support mainly for smaller-scale academic, artistic, and cultural events in China since 2008. This year, its assistance will be increased and offered to more diverse projects. Along with sponsoring academic and cultural activities conducted by local universities, which serve as footholds in China for the Foundation, the office will jointly organize academic conferences with influential institutions within and outside of China, academic and cultural festivals with the Departments of Korean Studies at universities in Beijing, and lectures on Korean culture by related specialists.
The Beijing Office will also join hands with Korea’s diplomatic missions in China to organize various events, including the “Korea-China Friendship Week” events jointly organized with the Korean Embassy in China, and the mutual visit programs for Chinese and the Korean youths jointly conducted with consulate general in various regions. Measures to invigorate alumni meetings of former KF fellows will be implemented to strengthen communication among the fellows and the Beijing Office, so as to provide practical support for their activities.
The office will also pursue joint endeavors with the Chinese PhD Association for Korean Studies. Currently, there are about 200 holders of doctorate degrees in Korean Studies in China. Combined with those undertaking doctoral course work in Korean Studies in Korea, the total number of Korea specialists reaches some 1,000. The association is expected to serve as a valuable source of cooperation for the Foundation’s efforts in the future.
Along with local consultation, investigation, and feedback to supplement the KF headquarters’ existing programs, the office will assume responsibility to directly carry out various programs, including academic conferences for Korean Studies and language, and university support programs, in China. Through expanded and diversified programs, the Beijing Office will continuously play the role of a bridge between Korea and China.

Hanoi Office

Lee In-hyuck Director, Hanoi Office

In 2010, the Hanoi Office laid the groundwork for an expansion of KF activities in Vietnam by promoting Korean Studies at leading Vietnamese universities (special lectures, workshops for educators of Korean Studies, and support for Korean language and cultural events), arranging for Vietnamese figures to visit Korea, distributing Korea-related textbooks, and identifying targets for new KF programs.
Since the KF headquarters will transfer some of its programs for the region to the Hanoi Office in 2011, it will have to step up its program operations and strengthen its role as an overseas outpost of the Foundation. In addition, with the conditions now ripe for the office to directly undertake local projects, the office will have a chance to bolster its function as a key KF hub in the region.
As for specific projects to promote Korean Studies and encourage outstanding Korea-related research specialists, the Hanoi Office plans to carry out outcome-oriented and differentiated projects, such as establishment of the KF Global e-School at Vietnamese universities, expansion of scholarship aid for graduate students, and organization of large-scale international gatherings for Korea-Vietnam economic relations.
In particular, the Hanoi Office will place an emphasis on enhancing understanding of Korea in Vietnam and Southeast Asia, which differs from country to country, in regard to Korean Studies and demands for new programs in each country.

Berlin Office

Min Young-joon Director, Berlin Office

Since its opening in October 2005, the Berlin Office has focused on enhancing awareness of the Foundation in Germany through the formation of a network of leading figures in local academic, cultural and related circles. As a result, a growing number of organizations and individuals in Germany are now cooperating with the Foundation and its local profile has been noticeably raised as well, creating a more favorable environment for the office to carry out its activities. Accordingly, in 2011, the Berlin Office will devote its energy to strengthening its capability as a facilitator and administrator of KF-related affairs in the European region.
Thus far, the office has mainly assisted the KF headquarters by serving as a local contact point and onsite administrator for Foundation programs. However, from this year, the Berlin Office will be assigned a number of programs from the KF headquarters for direct implementation in Germany and Europe. For example, the office will handle the receipt and evaluation of support program applications from universities, think tanks, and cultural organizations in Europe, and the announcement of approved projects.
In addition, the regional jurisdictions of KF overseas offices are being adjusted somewhat. The East European area, which has been overseen by the Berlin Office, will be taken over by the Moscow Office, while the Middle East area will now be handled by the Berlin Office. In the five years since its opening, the Berlin Office has assumed responsibility for Germany and Europe overall. The office's key projects in 2011 include participation in the annual ExpoLingua Berlin, opening of a large-scale touring exhibition of Korean art at leading German museums, the annual conference of the Association for Korean Studies in the German-speaking Region, and the year-end meeting of KF Friends.

Moscow Office

Lim Cheol-woo Director, Moscow Office

In 2011, the Moscow Office will organize and sponsor a variety of academic and cultural events. Currently, some 20 projects related to Korean Studies are scheduled for implementation this year, in association with the Russian Universities’ Association for Korean Studies (RAUK) to evaluate Korean content in the textbooks for Russian secondary schools (National University of Moscow), an international academic conference to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the death of Yi Beom-jin, the first Korean minister to Russia (Saint Petersburg State University), and an academic conference of graduate students majoring in Korean history and culture (Novosibirsk State University).
In June, the office will support in hosting the biennial convention of the Association for Korean Studies in Europe (AKSE), which will meet in Moscow for the first time in 30 years to provide a valuable opportunity to strengthen academic exchange between Europe and RAUK. The office will also sponsor the 5th Moscow Biennale, the city’s largest event for contemporary art. The Moscow Office, which has supported this event since 2009, along with the British Council and the Jewish Foundation, will make efforts to include as many Korean artists as possible in this year’s event. The biennale will greatly contribute to introducing contemporary Korean art to the art circles of Moscow.
In 2011, the Moscow Office’s three major goals involve efforts to: (1) lay the groundwork for more stabilized operations of Korean Studies organizations, including RAUK and the Association of Korean Language Lecturers at Russian Universities (OPKJARU), (2) expand the scope of Korean Studies from the humanities to social sciences through the introduction of programs like the KF Global e-School, and (3) strengthen cooperative relations between the Korean Studies departments at Russian universities and the local business sector in an effort to bolster the employment opportunities for Korea-related graduates.