Korean Ambassador to Serbia Lee Jae-woong, third from right, poses with Serbs after inspecting the Korea Corner at the University of Novi Sad in Serbia in this June 20 photo. Courtesy of the Korean Embassy in Serbia

Textbook about Korea, Korea Corner launched

By Kang Seung-woo

Serbia was a late adopter of globally booming Korean culture ― represented by K-pop ― due to its lack of exchange with Seoul as well as civil unrest in the Balkan state.

However, in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak, in which physical contact has become limited, the use of social network platforms and over-the-top media services has been sharply increasing, thereby acquainting Serbs with Korean-made content ― the point, at which Korean Ambassador to Serbia Lee Jae-woong thought it was the right time to introduce tools to raise awareness and understanding of Korea among the Serbian public.

"More Serbs are becoming interested in Korea, but there were few books or materials explaining our history and culture properly. As a result, those who wanted to know about Korea only had limited information to rely on from the internet or the few available lectures on the Korean language," Lee said in a written interview with The Korea Times.

In that respect, as part of its efforts to increase awareness of Korea among the Serbian public, the embassy published a textbook ― called "Korea" ― about Korean history and culture in May.

"The textbook is comprised of six aspects of Korea: geography and demography; history; economic status and development; traditional and current culture; inter-Korean relations; and ties between Korea and Serbia, in order to help Serbs better understand Korea," said Lee, who took office in December 2021.

According to the ambassador, the embassy initially planned to issue the book as an auxiliary textbook for primary and secondary school teachers, who teach subjects referencing Korea out of concern that it would take time before getting approval from the Serbian government, but the book was swiftly approved by Serbia's Institute for Textbooks as a regular textbook.

"The textbook will be distributed to 1,500 Serbian primary and secondary schools before the new semester begins in September, which I believe will help raise awareness of Korea and increase the number of schools to teach about Korea," Lee said.

According to the embassy, the text book will also be available in some universities and public libraries.

In response to the publication, the government is trying to illustrate the Serbian case in other countries.

"The National Institute of Korean History inquired with us about the process of textbook production, saying that it is a case that could serve as a stepping stone for distributing Korean history education abroad," Lee said.

Along with the textbook publication, the installation of the "Korea Corner" at a Serbian university is boosting awareness of Korea's culture and history.

The Korea Corner is aimed at enhancing the overseas public's awareness of Korea by installing dedicated Korean culture promotion sections with easy access to a variety of materials on Korea at universities or libraries abroad. The project is sponsored by the Korea Foundation, an affiliate of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The Korean Embassy in Serbia published a textbook, named "Korea," in May to raise awareness of Korea among Serbs. Courtesy of the Korean Embassy in Serbia

According to the embassy, Korea Corner opened at the Faculty of Philosophy at the University of Novi Sad in June. The school has served as a springboard for learning the Korean language in Serbia through lectures and the establishment there of the King Sejong Institute, an organization that aims to spread Korean language and culture across the globe. Serbia is the second country in the Balkan region, after Hungary, to house the Korean language institute.

"Despite high interest in Korea and demand for education on the Korean language among its students and nearby residents, the university struggled to secure sufficient books and materials, so it asked us for help, and thanks to efforts by the embassy, the school was selected to open the Korea Corner and receive support," Lee said.

According to him, the Korea Corner features about 500 books, about 30 types of DVDs and about 70 items on various subjects in Korean culture. The space is open not only to students, but also to the general public.

The ambassador gave credit to the Serbian government for its successful projects.

"From the beginning, the Serbian side was positive and cooperative regarding our plans, as evidenced by the recommendation of the Serbian education minister for the textbook and the quick approval of the book by the education authorities," Lee said.

In addition, the Serbian media also praised the Korean Embassy for helping the University of Novi Sad advance the education of the Korean language, he added.

The ambassador is set not to let the opportunity slip away with plans to hold events to promote Korea and its cultural assets later in the year.

"In the second half of the year, five Korean teachers will come to Serbia and I think they will be able to meet growing demand in middle and high schools for education in the Korean language to some extent," he said, adding that the embassy is also organizing an event to advertise Korean food.

Lee said promoting Korea is a job that will take a lot of time and require steady efforts.

"It will not happen overnight, but I am sure that Serbia will soon be able to become a base for promoting Korean culture in the Balkans if we continue to work hard," he added.