From K-pop to translation mastery: the Korean Culture Festival gathers over 250 participants at FEFU

FEFU students from different countries hosted the 13th Korean Culture Festival. The large celebration attracted more than 250 people, including students, regional officials, and international diplomats. The event was organized by the Department of Korean Studies at the Institute of Asian Studies, FEFU.

The festival began with a performance by the renowned Haedong drum ensemble. The First Deputy Minister of International and Foreign Economic Relations of Primorsky Krai, Alexey Starichkov; the Consul General of the Republic of Korea in Vladivostok, Ha Byung Kyoo; and the Chief of the Far Eastern Center of Culture, Kim Dong Ik, greeted attendees.

“The strong interest shown by regional officials and foreign diplomats in the Korean Culture Festival highlights the university’s role in strengthening international ties of Russia. Today, students from 81 countries, including native speakers of most spoken foreign languages, study at the FEFU Institute of Asian Studies. Future translators and specialists in international relations participate in speaking clubs and cultural festivals held at FEFU, where they have the opportunity to meet people from diverse cultural backgrounds. The focus on practicing and creating an intercultural environment makes Far Eastern Federal University a regional center of international education and expertise,” said Evgeny Vlasov, Vice President for International Relations of FEFU.

This year the festival united over 250 students from seven FEFU Institutes and Schools. The programme featured more than 40 creative performances, ranging from Korean songs and K-pop dance covers to skillfully implemented Korean folk tales about mythical creatures and ancient times. The guests of the festival – representatives of Korean business and diplomacy in Primorsky Krai – noted the advanced level of Korean among FEFU students.

“The Korean Culture Festival is more than the traditional university event – it attracts students from different countries and educational programmes. The festival lets future orientalists express themselves creatively, demonstrate knowledge in quizzes, and build professional networks. Students from other programmes take part in the festival to show their talents for wide audience and draw inspiration from creative peers,” – added Olga Sirenko, Senior Lecturer at the Department of Korean Studies at the Institute of Asian Studies, FEFU.

It is worth mentioning that Far Eastern Federal University regularly hosts festivals of different cultures. The Korean Culture Festival has been admitted as the main event in the Far East dedicated to Korean culture. FEFU’s Korean Studies programme offers a comprehensive study of the Korean Peninsula states, their economic systems, cultures and language diversity. The university also serves as a unique platform for international dialogue, having welcomed leaders from both North and South Korea.

Let us remind you that the methodical teaching of Korean Studies in Russia dates back to 1900, when the Department of Korean Literature was established. At that time, the Institute of Asian Studies was the only institution outside the Korean Peninsula where the Korean language was taught professionally by qualified professors. Today, 125 years later, the Institute of Asian Studies remains a leading center for applied Korean Studies. The university has built long-standing mutually beneficial relationships with three partner universities in North Korea: Kim Chaek University of Technology, Pyongyang University of Foreign Studies, and Kim Il Sung University. According to the North Korean-Russian agreement, 10 to 12 North Korean postgraduate students in natural sciences and humanities are trained at the Far Eastern Federal University annually.