FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Academic conference enriches understanding of Korean language, culture and society
Organizers praise the high quality and diversity of scholarship

KOWLOON, June 22 – The two-day International Conference on Korean Language, Culture and Society, co-organized by the Division of Language Studies of the Community College of City University and the International Circle of Korean Linguistics (ICKL), drew to a close on Thursday June 21 as academics shared their latest research findings on Korean language, culture and society.

The meeting of academics from all over the world served to emphasize the growing importance of Korean language and culture in Hong Kong and the region. In particular, the year 2007 marks the 15th anniversary of normalization of diplomatic ties between The People’s Republic of China and the Republic of Korea; and the graduation of the first tertiary level students in Hong Kong where Korean is the main focus of their studies. Consul-General Seok Tong-Youn of the Consulate General of the Republic of Korea in Hong Kong was Guest of Honor at the Opening Ceremony.

"As a pioneer in tertiary Korean studies, with our well-established Korean/English and Korean/Chinese options in our Bilingual Communication Studies associate degree programme, we have been very pleased to provide this opportunity for Korean scholars to come to Hong Kong to share their research", said Dr. Paul Corrigan, Head of Division of Language Studies.

Programme abstracts are available at the conference website www.ls.cityu.edu.hk/kc2007.


About the Community College of City University (CCCU) and the Division of Language Studies
Established in 2004 as the successor of CCCU of Higher Vocational Studies, City University Community College (www.cityu.edu.hk/cccu) is a leading provider of high quality sub-degree programmes in Hong Kong. It comprises the Divisions of Commerce, Computer Studies, Language Studies and Social Studies. The Division of Language Studies (www.cityu.edu.hk/ls) offers a variety of Associate Degree programmes in language and communication, digital and visual design, media and production design, public relations, and international studies. The Division’s Korean/Chinese and Korean/English option in the Associate of Arts in Bilingual Communication Studies Programme were launched in 2005 as the first of their kind in Hong Kong and encompass a broad curriculum covering Korean language, culture and society. The Division, through CCCU’s Centre for Lifelong Learning, is also the test centre for the Korean Language Proficiency Test (KLPT), the first educational unit for the test in Hong Kong.

About the International Circle of Korean Linguistics (ICKL)
Founded in 1975, the International Circle of Korean Linguistics (www.ickl.co.kr) endeavors to promote Korean language and linguistics among those engaged in the field; disseminate information about Korean language and linguistics to the general public as well as to scholars in the field; and facilitate communication among scholars in Korean language and linguistics.

MEDIA CONTACT Dr. Aileen Chan | Email: lslyacha@cityu.edu.hk | Tel: 2788-8704