Spas Rangelov
Ph D Candidate, SOAS, University of London
Lector, Faculty of Philology, Ss Cyril and Methodius University of Skopje

    This paper is a very brief and sketchy (due to the volume constraints) presentation about the establishment and development of Korea-related academic courses at the Ss Cyril and Methodius University of Skopje (Универзитет „Св. Кирил и Методиј” – Скопје). The first and only academic Korean language course in the Republic of Macedonia was opened in the autumn of 2008 at the “Blaze Koneski” Faculty of Philology (Филолошки факултет „Блаже Конески”). Since the Republic of Macedonia, as well as the other countries in Eastern Europe, is relatively little known in Korea, this paper attempts to describe the development of Korean Studies in that country providing a broader background information in order to put things in a better perspective.

1. Background

    The Ss Cyril and Methodius University of Skopje is the oldest and largest institution of higher (tertiary) education in the Republic of Macedonia. It was established on January 26th, 1949 by the Presidium of the People’s Assembly of the People’s Republic of Macedonia , a newly proclaimed state that became one of the six constituents of an independent federative republic known as the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia before its collapse in the early 1990s. The Republic of Macedonia declared its independence in 1991. The successor states of this socialist state are the six constituent republics of the Federation and the Republic of Kosovo. All of them, with the exception of Kosovo, are members of the United Nations. The membership of the Republic of Macedonia in the United Nations was problematic because of the objections to its name made by Greece. At the end, the Republic of Macedonia became a member of the United Nations under the temporary reference “the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia”.
    The Republic of Korea has recognized the independence of all seven states but has not established diplomatic relations with two of them: Macedonia and Kosovo. However, the political and economic relations between the Republic of Korea and the Republic of Macedonia have been amicable and mutually beneficial. The following statistics is from the site of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade :

Bilateral Trade(2009):
- Export: $ 6.3 milion (Automobile, Electronics, Machineries, Textile)
- Import: $ 3.4 milion (Copper, Chrome, Lead, Zinc, Leaf Tobacco, Fruit Seed)

High-level Exchanges:

     From the ROK to Macedonia
1996     October    ROK-Macedonia Ministerial Talks in New York
 
From Macedonia to the ROK
1993     October    Deputy Prime Minister Jovan Andonov
1997     December    Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economic Affairs Dimitar Buzlevski
1999     June    Deputy Prime Minister Radmila Kiprijanova
2006     December    Minister of Foreign Investment Gligor Tashkovich
2008    August    President of the 62nd session of the UN General Assembly Srgjan Kerim
2009    June    President of the 62nd session of the UN General Assembly Srgjan Kerim

    There are about 20 Koreans living in the Republic of Macedonia: a family of two parents and four children in Skopje, a family of two parents and children in Ohrid and a single woman in Kochani. Macedonian businessmen and tourists visit the Republic of Korea.

2. Beginnings of Korean Studies

    The initiative for opening a Korean Studies-related course at the Ss Cyril and Methodius University ripened somewhere in the beginning of 2007 when intensive contacts and discussions between South Korean and Macedonian diplomats and academics crystallized in a plan to apply for financial support for starting a Korean-language course with one of the programmes offered by the Korea Foundation. Apparently the Consul Ms. Lim from the Embassy of the Republic of Korea in Sofia and the Dean of the Ss Cyril and Methodius University of Skopje’s Blaze Koneski Faculty of Philology Professor Maksim Karanfilovski were among the most active participants in this project. After Ms. Lim left Sofia in February 2008 to assume a new post elsewhere, her work was continued by the new Consul Mr. Im. Meanwhile, in the summer of 2008, Professor Karanfilovski was reelected Dean of the Faculty for a new term, providing continuity for the development of the project. About the same time, a new Rector of the University was elected.
    The Korea Foundation programme chosen for the project was “Financial Support for Employment of Teaching Staff”. At that point, since a lecturer in Macedonia could not be found, a lecturer was sought in Bulgaria. My involvement with the project started in May 2007 when I confirmed in principle that I am interested in participating in this challenging and exciting new project. At a meeting at the Embassy in December 2007 with Consul Lim and Professor Karanfilovski some of the details of the new course were discussed. The Korean language course was decided to be 4 hours per week, i.e. around 60 hours per semester, for a period of four semesters. It was going to be offered as an elective course consisting of four elective subjects (Korean 1, 2, 3 and 4, respectively). It was scheduled to start at the beginning of the 2008/2009 academic year, i.e. 1 October 2008. In the summer of 2008 early general elections were held in the Republic of Macedonia and that slowed down the process of accreditation of the course by the Accreditation Commission at the Ministry of Education. The course finally started in December 2008 and for the first several months it was more intensive than four hours per week in order to compensate for the late start. By the end of the academic year the full 120 hours were covered and the third semester for the continuing students started normally at the beginning of the 2009/2010 academic year, i.e. 15 September 2009 (the beginning of the academic year was shifted half a month for the entire university from the beginning of the 2009/2010). A new group started Korean Language 1 in September 2009 and this year there are two different levels taught.
    For the first course which started in 2008, 14 people signed up and the classes proceeded smoothly. Since then I have been preparing handouts with explanations, grammar charts and wordlists in Standard Literary Macedonian. The feedback I get from students is very positive and encouraging. They seem to appreciate my efforts and they are enthusiastic about learning Korean. They also help organize events like the presentations of Korean culture, etc. Their motivation is quite high despite the fact that for all of them it is the third language they study at the Faculty and it is not compulsory. The course has attracted not only students but a university librarian as well.

3. The Current Situation

    Currently, the Korean language course is offered for four semesters. It can be elected as a third language by students who already study one language and its literature as a first (compulsory) language and literature and may also study a second language and its literature as and elective group, or module, of subjects (not compulsory).
    At the Faculty of Philology students study a selection of compulsory and elective courses dedicated to their first (major) language and literature, also called “A Language/Literature”, in each of the eight semesters of their undergraduate programme. The practical language courses are intensive and some knowledge of the language is expected from the very beginning.
    Students can also choose a second language and literature (not compulsory), also called “B Language/Literature” or Second Studium but if they choose to do it they should study practical language courses as well as linguistic and literary subjects related to the respective language for six of the eight semesters, usually that happens from the beginning of their second year until the end of the undergraduate programme. The normal distribution of courses for the second language is a practical language course and two other subjects per semester. At graduation students could have as many as 18 subjects completed in the field of their second language and literature.
    The third language, also called “C Language”, Third Studium, or Free Choice, is not compulsory and is just a practical language course for beginners for four semesters. It can be taken by students who study only A language/literature or by students who study both A and B languages and literatures. Students usually start it in the beginning of their second or their undergraduate programme but they could also do it from the beginning of their first year. According to the Faculty’s policy for foreign language courses studied as third language, the Korean language course is divided into four subjects called Contemporary Korean Language 1, 2, 3 and 4. Each of them consists of 60 hours. i.e. 240 hours for the two-year period. The four hours per week are organized as two sessions of two hours each. The first subject does not presuppose any knowledge of Korean and each of the next courses presupposes that the previous course has been completed by the student. That is how all languages offered as a third language at the Faculty are taught. The four subjects can be chosen as elective subjects even by first-year students.
    The syllabus for the course that I developed is presented in and English version in Appendix 1.
    From the very beginning of the Korea-related course at the Ss Cyril and Methodius University it has been stressed by both the University representatives and the Korean diplomats interested in the development of the project that the Korea-related academic programme begun with the Korean-language course should expand and ultimately lead to a fully developed Korean Studies programme in the future.
    The academic cooperation between Macedonia and Korea is also progressing. One of the interesting developments has been the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding between the Ss Cyril and Methodius University and Hankuk University of Foreign Studies. Two of our students are already at Hankuk studying Korean intensively as exchange students with generous stipends secured by Hankuk University. Hankuk University students and professors also participate in programmes of the Ss Cyril and Methodius University.
    In December 2010 His Excellency Ambassador Chun Bee-ho delivered a lecture titled “Policy Review of the Republic of Korea – Economic Development” at the Rectorate of the Ss Cyril and Methodius University. He also donated thirty textbooks of Korean as a foreign language published by Sungkyunkwang University. This generous donation will be very helpful for the development of a library of Korean Studies at the Faculty of Philology.

4. Prospects for the Near Future

    In accordance with the commitments to the further development of the Korean Studies field at the Ss Cyril and Methodius University, it has been decided that from the beginning of the 2011/2012 academic year, Korean language and literature will be offered as a Second language to be studied for six semesters (three years) beginning from the third semester of the students who choose to study it. The curriculum that I developed and is already in the Faculty handbooks is presented in an English version in Appendix 2. There are also Subject syllabi developed for each subject. This will be a major step towards the development of a fully-fledged Korean Department at the Faculty in the long term.

Appendix 1

KOREAN LANGUAGE (PRACTICAL COURSE)
Four Semesters (240 hours)

First Semester

Subject    Korean Language 1
Code   
Credits   
Timing    2+2 weekly
60 hours (15 weeks)
Prerequisites    No prior knowledge of Korean is required.
Realization    Teaching and Exercises
Realized by    Korean Language Lecturer as per the Agreement with The Korea Foundation
Aims    The first part of the course aims at introducing the students to the foundations of the Modern Korean Language and to enable them to use what they have learned.
Content    Phonetics and Grammar: The vowels and consonants of Standard Korean. The inventory of phonemes. The syllabic structure of Modern Korean. The word order of simple sentences. The Korean nominal phrase. Types of sentences. The word classes (parts of speech). The most common verbs. The most common functional particles (i/ka, ul/lul, un/nun, to, man, ey, eyse, uy).
Vocabulary: Everyday vocabulary: around 800-1000 lexical units.
Comprehension:
Listening: At the end of the first semester learners can understand and use the most familiar everyday expressions and very basic sentences aimed at the satisfaction of concrete needs.
Reading: Students are also familiar with the Korean alphabet, know the basic orthography rules, can read words and sentences.
Expression:
Speaking: Can introduce themselves and others; can interact in a simple way provided the partner talks slowly and clearly and is prepared to help.
Writing: Can write in Korean using the Korean alphabet; can write simple paragraphs, e.g. self-introduction, presenting their family, their daily activities.
Evaluation    Colloquium
Literature    Main Texts:
Cho, Lee, Schulz, Sohn and Sohn 2000. Integrated Korean: Beginning Level 1: Textbook. University of Hawaii Press. (with audio files)
Schulz 2000. Integrated Korean: Beginning Level 1: Workbook. University of Hawaii Press.
Additional Materials:
King and Yeon 2004 (2000). Elementary Korean. Tuttle Publishing Co. (with CD)
Vincent and Yeon 2003 (1997). Teach Yourself Korean. Hodder and Stoughton (with tapes).

Second Semester

Subject    Korean Language 2
Code   
Credits   
Timing    2+2 weekly
60 hours (15 weeks)
Prerequisites    Korean Language First Semester
Realization    Teaching and Exercises
Realized by    Korean Language Lecturer as per the Agreement with The Korea Foundation
Aims    The second part of the course aims at continuing the introduction of the students to the foundations of the Modern Korean Language and to enable them to use what they have learned.
Content    Phonetics and Grammar: Elements of the phonetic theory and practice: discriminating between consonants articulated at the same place of articulation but in different ways; discriminating between vowels articulated at the same place but differing in labialization. The most common groups of irregular verbs (liul, piup, tikut). Functional particles and verb suffixes. The basics of the honorific system. Familiarity with basic grammatical constructions.
Vocabulary: Accumulating everyday vocabulary: around 1500-1600 lexical units.

Comprehension:
Listening: At the end of the second semester learners can understand and use a broad range of everyday expressions as well as simple dialogues meeting concrete needs.
Reading: Students can read very simple texts based on the colloquial language.

Expression:
Speaking: Can ask and answer questions about personal details such as where they live, people they know and things they have; can interact in a range of situations, including when visiting shops, post offices, banks, restaurants, etc.
Writing: Can write in Korean on paper and on a computer; can write short texts, simple messages and notes.
Evaluation    Written and oral exam
Literature    Main Texts:
Cho, Lee, Schulz, Sohn and Sohn 2000. Integrated Korean: Beginning Level 2: Textbook. University of Hawaii Press. (with audio files)
Sohn 2000. Integrated Korean: Beginning Level 2: Workbook. University of Hawaii Press.
Additional Materials:
King and Yeon 2004 (2000). Elementary Korean. Tuttle Publishing Co. (with CD)
Vincent and Yeon 2003 (1997). Teach Yourself Korean. Hodder and Stoughton (with tapes).

Third Semester

Subject    Korean Language 3
Code   
Credits   
Timing    2+2 weekly
60 hours (15 weeks)
Prerequisites    Successfully passed the First Year Korean Language exam
Realization    Teaching and Exercises
Realized by    Korean Language Lecturer as per the Agreement with The Korea Foundation
Aims    The students continue mastering the basics of the Modern Korean Language and to communicate in both spoken and written form in essential daily situations.
Content    Phonetics and Grammar: Familiarity with the standard pronunciation. Awareness of all groups of irregular verbs. Familiarity with the structure of complex sentences. Familiarity with almost all functional particles and verbal suffixes.
Vocabulary: Accumulating everyday vocabulary: around 2300-2500 lexical units.
Comprehension:
Listening: At the end of the third semester learners can understand sentences and frequently used expressions related to areas of most immediate environment (e.g. personal and family information, shopping, local geography, university, employment).
Reading: Students can read general texts that are not very complex and use limited vocabulary.
Expression:
Speaking: Can communicate in Korean during the performance of routine tasks requiring direct exchange of information on familiar and routine matters.
Writing: Can write different types of compositions on a wide variety of topics.
Evaluation    Colloquium
Literature    Main Texts:
Cho, Lee, Schulz, Sohn and Sohn 2001. Integrated Korean: Intermediate Level 1: Textbook. University of Hawaii Press. (with audio files)
Schulz 2001. Integrated Korean: Intermediate Level 1: Workbook. University of Hawaii Press.
Additional Materials:
King and Yeon 2004 (2000). Elementary Korean. Tuttle Publishing Co. (with CD)
King and Yeon 2002. Continuing Korean. Tuttle Publishing Co. (with CD)
Vincent and Yeon 2003 (1997). Teach Yourself Korean. Hodder and Stoughton. (with tapes)

Fourth Semester

Subject    Korean Language 4
Code   
Credits   
Timing    2+2 weekly
60 hours (15 weeks)
Prerequisites    Korean Language Third Semester
Realization    Teaching and Exercises
Realized by    Korean Language Lecturer as per the Agreement with The Korea Foundation
Aims    The completion of the course should allow the students to master the basics of the Modern Korean Language, including all basic grammatical constructions, and to communicate in spoken and written form in all essential daily situations.
Content    Phonetics and Grammar: Full understanding of the rules of the phonetic assimilations and transformations of speech sounds of Standard Spoken Korean at normal speed. Familiarity and usage of basic Korean grammar. Awareness of the different communicative styles (formal, polite, plain, etc.) and levels of honorification.
Vocabulary: Accumulating everyday vocabulary: around 3500 - 3600 lexical units.
Comprehension:
Listening: At the end of the course learners can understand the main points of clear standard input on familiar matters regularly encountered at work, school, leisure, etc.
Reading: Students can read a wide range of texts in contemporary Korean, including adapted short stories, folk tales, poems, newspaper and magazine articles.
Expression:
Speaking: Can describe aspects of their background, environment and needs; can produce simple connected text on familiar topics; can participate in almost all everyday conversations.
Writing: Can write different types of texts in contemporary and stylistically appropriate Korean, e.g. short essays, letters, postcards, emails to Korean friends, etc.
Evaluation    Written and oral exam
Literature    Main Texts:
Cho, Lee, Schulz, Sohn and Sohn 2001. Integrated Korean: Intermediate Level 2: Textbook. University of Hawaii Press. (with audio files)
Hwang and Lee 2001. Integrated Korean: Intermediate Level 2: Workbook. University of Hawaii Press.
Additional Materials:
King and Yeon 2002. Continuing Korean. Tuttle Publishing Co. (with CD)
Vincent and Yeon 2003 (1997). Teach Yourself Korean. Hodder and Stoughton. (with tapes)

Appendix 2

SECOND MODULE
(SELECTIVE MODULE)
Second module for the students of the same department or other departments or faculties
KOREAN LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE
Diploma:     A ……... graduate with Korean language and literature

Third Semester

ELECTIVE SUBJECTS:
Code    Subject name    Lectures
Hrs per sem    Exercises
Hrs per sem    Credits
    Contemporary Korean language 1    30    30    5
    Introduction to the Grammar of the Korean language    30    0    5
    Introduction to Korean civilization 1    30    0    5

Fourth Semester

ELECTIVE SUBJECTS:
Code    Subject name    Lectures
Hrs per sem    Exercises
Hrs per sem    Credits
    Contemporary Korean language 2    30    30    5
    Phonetics and Phonology of the Korean language    30    0    5
    Introduction to Korean civilization 2    30    0    5

Fifth Semester

ELECTIVE SUBJECTS:
Code    Subject name    Lectures
Hrs per sem    Exercises
Hrs per sem    Credits
    Contemporary Korean language 3    30    30    5
    Lexicology and Morphology of the Korean language 1    30    0    5
    Classical Korean literature and culture 1    30    0    5

Sixth Semester

ELECTIVE SUBJECTS:
Code    Subject name    Lectures
Hrs per sem    Exercises
Hrs per sem    Credits
    Contemporary Korean language 4    30    30    5
    Lexicology and Morphology of the Korean language 2    30    0    5
    Classical Korean literature and culture 2    30    0    5

Seventh Semester

ELECTIVE SUBJECTS:
Code    Subject name    Lectures
Hrs per sem    Exercises
Hrs per sem    Credits
    Contemporary Korean language 5    30    30    5
    Syntax and Semantics of the Korean language 1    30    0    5
    Modern Korean literature and culture 1    30    0    5

Eighth Semester

ELECTIVE SUBJECTS:
Code    Subject name    Lectures
Hrs per sem    Exercises
Hrs per sem    Credits
    Contemporary Korean language 6    30    30    5
    Syntax and Semantics of the Korean language 2    30    0    5
    Modern Korean literature and culture 2    30    0    5