MADRID -- The Complutense University of Madrid (UCM) in Spain's capital boasts a rich history dating back to its establishment in 1293. As one of the world's oldest universities, it recently added Korean as a minor course within the Department of Asian Studies in 2021. Professor Yang Eun-sook, who h

University of Salamanca modern languages professor continues to translate Korean novels into Spanish When Alvaro Trigo Maldonado came to South Korea in 2012, he only spoke basic Korean. Having studied Arabic and East Asian studies in Spain, Trigo did a master’s degree in Korean history and culture a

Turkey‘s first Korean studies department at Ankara University calls for greater support from Korea for research programs Despite being on the opposite sides of the continent, South Korea and Turkey have maintained a positive relationship throughout their histories. Turkey sent the fourth-highest num

Brazil rises as promising hub for Korean language and literature education in wider Portuguese-speaking world SAO PAULO -- Separated by oceans and a 12-hour time difference, Seoul and Sao Paulo lack direct flight connections and speak distinct languages. Yet, in this metropolis of over 11 million, t

HERALD INTERVIEW Yale University was the only Ivy League school that didn’t have a Korean studies faculty member, other than Korean language lecturers, until 2018, when it hired Kim Hwan-soo as a professor of religious studies. Kim, a Buddhist monk and professor of Korean Buddhism and culture, recei

Columbia anthropology professor, Asian ethnography curator studied Korean shamans, intrigued by small group‘s fight to preserve traditional culture in 1970s NEW YORK -- Portrayals of shaman rituals or shrines in Korean dramas often give off a spooky or menacing vibe. But 22-year-old Laurel Kendall f

NEW HAVEN, Connecticut -- Grace Kao got into BTS and K-pop by accident. In April 2019, the sociology professor at Yale University was deeply impressed when she saw the Korean boy band on Saturday Night Live, a TV show that she had watched since she was a child. “SNL was around from the ’70s. I alway

Thousands of UCLA students take Korean studies courses, but lack of job opportunities discourages faculty in recruiting graduate students LOS ANGELES -- A Volvo Trucks commercial featuring actor Jean-Claude Van Damme doing the splits, stretching his legs between two reversing trucks with Enya’s “Onl

LOS ANGELES -- John Duncan, a historian and former director of the UCLA Center for Korean Studies, is one of the most admired contributors to the growth of Korean studies in the US. Over the 30 years he taught at UCLA until 2019, he researched and wrote about mainly the Joseon era, trained a generat

HERALD INTERVIEW Clark Sorensen, who just retired as professor in June from the University of Washington, won this year’s Korea Foundation (KF) Award last month in recognition of his contributions to Korean studies over the past 25 years. As professor of international studies at the university’s Jac