뉴스레터

Last June, the heads of Korea and China placed an emphasis on the keyword "humanities bond (exchange)" as one of the action plans to 'solidify' the strategic partnership between the two countries. Against this backdrop, the NAHF and the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS)¹⁾, the largest think-tank of China, co-hosted an academic conference at the end of last year as part of their efforts to promote academic exchange in humanities between Korea and China. The 'Korea-China Humanities Exchange' conference was held to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Contemporary Korea (當代韓國), a journal published by the CASS. Summarizing this conference below, I remind myself of the need for academic communication and the importance of trust-building between Korea and China

Contemporary Korea Increased Mutual Understanding Between Korea and China for the Last Two Decades

Sponsoring the Korean Society for Contemporary China Studies in collaboration for the publication of Contemporary Korea, the NAHF hosted the Korea-China Humanities Exchange conference on December 7 last year at the Social Sciences Academic Press (SSAP), the publishing wing of the CASS. Contemporary Korea is a quarterly Chinese journal in Korean Studies founded in 1993 to help China (and its people) gain a correct understanding of Korea and spread Korean Studies across China. For the last two decades, Contemporary Korea has been published consistently, four times a year and in 3,000 copies each, by the CASS through the collaboration of its two affiliated organizations, the Center for Korean Studies and the SSAP, and the Korean Society for Contemporary China Studies. Distributed to major universities, academic research institutes, and public libraries across China, Contemporary Korea is playing a large role in helping politicians, government officials, businessmen, scholars, and people at large better understand Korea.

President of the NAHF Kim Hak-joon and former Deputy Director of the CASS Ru Xin served as the leaders of delegates from their countries for this conference. They gave a keynote speech and a welcoming remark, respectively, sharing their common feeling that "through its consistent publication over the last twenty years, despite the challenges during that period following the establishment of diplomatic relations between Korea and China, Contemporary Korea is now acting as a window through which China and Korea see each other."

Following their addresses, the conference began and a total of 12 papers were presented in two sessions. Session 1 provided a look back on the last two decades of Comtemporary Korea, and a look forward. And Session 2 dealt with the status and challenges of humanities exchange between Korea and China. The topics presented and the speakers are as follows: On the twenty years of publishing Contemporary: Park Jae-woo, a professor of the Hankuk University of Foreign Studies; and Lu, Xiang Gan (陸象淦), an advisor for the SSAP. On a look back on diplomatic relations between Korea and China over the last twenty years and a look forward: Cha Jae-bok, a Research Fellow of the NAHF; Shen Dingchang (沈定昌), a professor of Peking University's Research Center for Korean Studies; and Zhang Jian (張鍵), a researcher of the China Institute of International Studies. On humanities exchange between Korea and China: Ryu Dong-choon, a professor of Sogang University; and Shen Yilin (沈儀琳), a researcher of the CASS. On cooperation in Northeast Asia: Park Byung-suk, a professor of Seoul Cyber University; and Han Aiyong (韓愛勇), a researcher of the Central Party School of China, Institute of International Strategic Studies. And the discussants included: Kim Moon-won, a former chairman of the Korean Press Foundation; Lee Joon-il, a professor emeritus of Chungang University; and Kim Jin-gon, the director of the Korean Cultural Center in Beijing. While discussing the Chinese people's interest in Korean culture, they presented interesting ideas. In addition, Professor Han Si-joon of Dankook University spoke about China's cooperation with the Korean Independence Army, Professor Park Jung-won of Kyunghee University about exchange of cultural content between Korea and China, and Professor Liu Baoquan (劉保全) of the Department of Korean Language and Literature at Shandong University about the current status of Korean studies within China.

In the general discussion at the end of the conference, President Kim Hak-joon of the NAHF requested that for the advancement of Korea-China relations, the CASS should continue to publish Contemporary Korea, and Ru Xin of the CASS stressed the importance of this conference as an example of academic communication between Korea and China. And they agreed that in order to help the peoples of the two countries better understand each other, they would host forums where intellectuals and opinion leaders from both countries could have significant academic dialogue.

Need Efforts to Resolve Humanities and Historical Conflicts for Strengthening Humanities Exchange Between Korea and China

A solid 'humanities bond (exchange)' between Korea and China requires, first of all, efforts to resolve the 'humanities and historical conflicts' between the two countries. To this end, we would need close academic exchange with the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, which initiated the Northeast Project, and the academies of social sciences of the three Provinces in northeast China. Additionally, we should efficiently control the seeds of conflict that could hinder the development of Korea-China relations, by raising awareness for the correct understanding of the recent debates that took place between Korean and Chinese netizens over the origin of culture, from the Gangneung Danoje Festival to Arirang. To do so, our government (in light of the vast land of China) should engage in public diplomacy for 1.3 billion Chinese people from the Northeast down to Southwest regions of China. In this respect, the NAHF would need to build a regular network for stronger academic exchange with major think-tanks based in the three Provinces in northeast China, Beijing, and Shanghai in southern China.

Everyone knows well that removing obstacles that give rise to conflict between Korea and China and forging strong Korea-China relations are in the best interests of the two countries. The seeds of conflict, if left neglected for political reasons, could bring about serious consequences, as we could see and learn from the Japan-China relations of today.

The Major Think-Tanks of the Two Countries Should Spearhead Continued Academic Exchange

Therefore, the major think-tanks of the two countries should be at the forefront of making efforts, through the promotion of academic exchange in related areas, to provide academic services that will help the two peoples become aware of 'the seeds of conflict' and build thick 'trust' between the two peoples in the process. Building trust, whether between people or between nations, is not easy. Trust can be built when a normal situation where mutual agreement is performed is repeated continuously. Therefore, there should be continued academic exchange between the related academic institutions of Korea and China before the humanities exchange between the two countries could come through.

President Kim Hak-joon of the NAHF (Left) and
Former Deputy Director of the CASS Lushin (汝信)

¹⁾ Established in 1977, the CASS is the largest think-tank and policy advisory body in China. It is running 37 research institutes devoted to studying policies on general areas of society, including politics, economy, society, and culture. Its research staff consists of 3,200 people in total. The CASS issues "blue papers" by category early each year, and the Chinese government and party draft policies for the new year based on these reports. This is also where the Northeast Project was launched in 2001 (by the Research Center for Chinese Borderland History and Geography under the Institute of Modern History). The CASS ranked the first in Asia and the twenty-eighth in the world in the 2011 Global Go To Think Tanks Index, announced by the University of Pennsylvania (Joongang Daily, Feb. 4, 21014).