Resource will bring cultural and educational Korean artefacts to Preston
The University of Central Lancashire (UCLan) is the first university in the UK to be awarded a special status by the Korean Embassy to showcase Korean artefacts of cultural and educational importance.
Granted by the Republic Embassy of Korea, UCLan’s Korea Corner will provide Korean literature, artefacts and other cultural resources for students, staff and the local community to explore. Other Korea Corners exist in universities across Europe and the rest of the world, but this will be the first one in the UK. It will include books, written in both Korean and English, photographs, traditional costumes and musical instruments.
The announcement comes as UCLan celebrates five years of teaching Korean studies, where student numbers have grown from 16 in the first year to 105 in 2018, with the largest Korean teaching team in the UK. The increased interest in Korean culture is reflected in Preston where last year the city’s first Korean restaurant, KimJi, opened.
"We’re seeing more and more people interested in Korean culture and UCLan’s Korea Corner will open up a whole host of information to anyone from in and outside the University who wants to explore it."
Dr Sojin Lim, The Deputy Director of the International Institute of Korean Studies (IKSU) at UCLan, said: “It’s a really exciting step for the Institute, especially as we mark a five-year milestone this year. We’re seeing more and more people interested in Korean culture and UCLan’s Korea Corner will open up a whole host of information to anyone from in and outside the University who wants to explore it.”
The celebrate UCLan’s Korea Corner grand opening, the Ambassador of the Republic of Korea in the UK Enna Park visited UCLan to share her thoughts on recent developments on the Korean Peninsula.
She said: “The Republic of Korea government will continue to make efforts to maintain the current momentum for dialogue and to establish a permanent and solid peace regime on the Korean Peninsula.”
UCLan’s Korea Corner is full funded by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Korea to promote Korean culture and language. It lies in the second floor of the Library on our Preston Campus.