[In-depth interview]Scholars must compete globally

Park Chul

To Park Chul, the president of the Hankuk University of Foreign Studies, 24 hours does not seem like enough time for his busy daily schedule. He usually works until 11 p.m., even on Sundays, pouring his energy into nurturing well-rounded students for the free trade agreement era. For a man as determined as Park, there is no time to waste. JoongAng Ilbo sat down with him recently to hear his views on the importance of education in this time of globalization.

Q. With the signing of the Korea-U.S. free trade agreement on April 2 and FTA negotiations with the European Union now underway, diplomatic skills seem crucial for Korea.
A.History is full of examples when diplomacy was crucial for national survival. Seohee (942-998), a public official from the Goryeo Dynasty, saved the nation from crisis by negotiating with the enemy. When the Kitans attacked Goryeo, he bargained with the commander of the enemy force. Furthermore, he gained six states near the Amnok River. Through diplomacy, Seohee was able to protect the nation and expand territory without shedding blood. His fluency in foreign languages was the driving force behind his diplomatic skills. Even in the 21st century, fluency in foreign languages is the basis of diplomacy.

Fluency in foreign languages alone does not guarantee international competitiveness.
Of course not. One should have knowledge of the political, economic and cultural aspects of a specific region to be considered a talented expert. However, many Korean diplomats lack such knowledge. All through college, they spend hours studying to pass the Civil Service Examination. Some diplomats cannot even speak the language of the host country. This is a shame.
Joongang Ilbo is promoting the development of the Seohee Academy, a graduate school specializing in diplomacy, which it proposed in January.
By offering a two-year master’s program in diplomacy, the academy would cultivate professional diplomats.
That is exactly what we need ― a graduate-level program for diplomats. The old system is no longer efficient in our ever-changing world. The professional academy should teach diplomats everything ― from the basics like formal table manners to in-depth diplomatic knowledge. Korean diplomats should no longer be criticized for their bad manners. We are living in an era of endless competition. Like medical schools and law schools, international relations schools should train graduates for a set period of time and they should be given examinations afterwards.

What are your thoughts on opening the education market?
We have more to lose by keeping our doors shut. Parents end up spending more money when they send their children abroad for education; it’s just a waste of money. Korea tends to lag behind in international trends. It was from a failure to understand the world situation that we came to be invaded by the Japanese in 1592. During the 16th century we were preoccupied with internal conflicts, while Japan was learning about Western civilization. Japan was willing to accept innovations from the West and underwent structural changes. That is how Japan advanced before Korea. The same goes for education. Today, there are no boundaries in education. We should send students abroad and accept foreign students as well. That’s what globalization is about.

What should individual colleges do?
“Publish or perish.” That is the kind of mindset they need. It may take time and effort to reform and strengthen each college, however, that is what we need to do. Without reform we cannot survive competition. In the case of our university, the required number of theses each professor needs to present has doubled. We provide incentives also by sponsoring those who attend international scholarly symposiums.

Can you provide us with specific guidelines?
Colleges need a trademark. At Hankuk, our trademark is our Graduate School of Interpretation and Translation. Students who speak English, Japanese, Chinese, Spanish, French, German, Arabic, or Russian with excellence make the school stand out. It is important to specialize in a specific field in order to become a strong school. Without such a trademark, colleges will no longer be able to survive the competition. The next is that colleges need to keep up with a changing society. In his book “Revolutionary Wealth,” Alvin Toffler notes that colleges are not moving at the same pace a big corporations, and are thus lagging behind. Colleges also need a plan about how to enlighten students.

There are complaints that education policies hamper improvement. What are your thoughts on the matter?
Colleges need a certain level of autonomy to be competitive. However, many of policies restrain colleges. Private colleges should be given financial independence. That would allow colleges to provide high-quality education while making a profit.

What do you think about the controversy surrounding the government’s “three nos” policy?
The core of the policy is granting colleges the freedom to select their students by their own standards. At the moment, Hankuk is not allowed to give English instructions in exams. That simply does not make sense. Colleges should be given the right to choose their own students. That is the only way they can improve.

The National Assembly seems to be delaying decisions regarding law schools and private schools.
Education should not be a matter of ideology, with different groups fighting over their interests. We should think about the future and see what will raise the quality of education in the long run. That is what politicians should focus on.

In Korea, Hankuk is known for its specialization in foreign language studies. However, it seems to lack international competitiveness.
We have cultivated over 100,000 scholars since 1954. Numerous interpreters, diplomats and trade workers are graduates of Hankuk University. We started with only five languages ― English, French, German, Chinese and Russian ― but now we have programs in 39 different languages. The Hankuk Graduate School of Interpretation and Translation is the only graduate school in Asia that meets international standards in this field. In 2005, it joined the International Permanent Conference of University Institutes of Translators and Interpreters. We aspire to become one of the world’s top 10 foreign language graduate schools.

How are you proceeding with your plans?
In April we agreed on a joint master’s program with the University for Peace, which has a United Nations mandate and will open an office in Seoul. Eventually, it will have a separate campus here. The joint program, starting next March, will be offered in the Graduate School of International Area Studies. Participating students will take two semesters at Hankuk and a semester at the University of Peace in Costa Rica. Graduates will be exempt from the first stage of the UN Recruitment Examination.
Last year we also started the “7+1 Program,” where students are encouraged to spend one semester in a foreign college.

By Yang Young-yu JoongAng Ilbo [estyle@joongang.co.kr]