• The President of Universidad de Santiago, Dr. Juan Manuel Zolezzi, together with the South Korean ambassador, Ji-eun Yu, launched the first Korean studies program in Chile, with the purpose of promoting academic reflection and foster research related to that country, which is the third world power, with a population of 50.2 million people and a GDP of 1.305 billion dollars. 
• President Zolezzi said that this initiative “will have an extraordinary impact on the policies of cooperation and development of our universities,” particularly because it aims to strengthen our links with the Republic of Korea, “a country that, for the world and for Universidad de Santiago, embodies a paradigmatic example of productive change, scientific creation, development-based innovation and a real miracle of educational progress.”
• For his part, ambassador Ji-eun Yu described the program as “a very important milestone”, because although “trade relationships between the two countries are very good, we need to make more efforts in cultural and academic fields, to promote understanding between the two nations.”

 
In a solemn ceremony held on December 10th at the Salón de Honor of our University, the first Chilean-Korean Study Program in our country was launched. 

The activity was headed by the President of Universidad de Santiago, Dr. Juan Manuel Zolezzi, who welcomed the ambassador of the Republic of Korea, Ji-eun Yu, the University authorities, and representatives of the Korean community in our country.

The funding for the Chilean-Korean Study Center Program: for cross-country future integration based on deeper understanding in terms of Politics, Economics and Society was awarded to Universidad de Santiago thanks to the participation of César Ross, researcher at the Institute for Advanced Studies (IDEA, in Spanish), in the international contest “Overseas Korean Studies Incubation 2014” that was organized by the Ministry of Education of the Republic of Korea. 

The project was sponsored by the Vice Presidency of Research, Development and Innovation and is led by Dr. Ross, whose research work has been oriented to different development areas of the Asian countries and their contributions. 

During his speech, President Juan Manuel Zolezzi referred to the importance of strengthening links with the South Korean nation, highlighting that it was “as a poor country that was able to become rich” and gain international recognition thanks to its ability to promote scientific and technological development. For this reason, this initiative “will have and an extraordinary impact on the policies of cooperation and development of our universities,” he said.

“With this Korean Studies Program- that will be part of IDEA- we are reinforcing our links with Korea, a country that for the world and for Universidad de Santiago, embodies a paradigmatic example of productive change, scientific creation, development-based innovation and a real miracle of educational progress, with a strong education system that has been key to that development,” President Zolezzi said.

Regarding the goals set by the University, he said he was pleased to “celebrate this partnership that will strengthen the cultural links between both republics”, a tangible step forward to the internationalization of our University, that seeks to go further in the international academic work.

Ji-eun Yu said that “as ambassador, I feel deeply gratified for witnessing the progress of the Korean studies in Chile.” He valued the initiative and described it as a “very important milestone”. Although “trade relationships between the two countries are very good, we need to make more efforts in cultural and academic fields, to promote understanding between the two nations,” he said.

For the diplomat, the cooperation between the two nations offers big opportunities due to their location on the Pacific Rim. The fact of being close “allows many people to have a broader view with regards to my country. Establishing a program like this, a program about Korea in Chile, will contribute to promote a better academic understanding that will bring our countries closer together.”

For his part, Dr. César Ross, director of the Program, said that “the Chilean-Korean Study Center Program will promote mutual understanding between academics, students and politicians of both countries, to think, reflect and study.”

Also, the initiative focus on promoting the academic interest in Korean studies by introducing a historical perspective to the new generation of Chilean students and professors. It has the purpose of studying the North-east Asian security issues from a Korean point of view, too. The idea is to study the effects of a reunification process of the Korean peninsula and the relation between Asia and Latin America, and to promote a better understanding of the successful role played by the Korean government in developing high technology and exports system,” which are key areas for universities focused on Engineering, like ours,” Dr. Ross said.

Translated by Marcela Contreras