Education and Research on Korea in New Zealand Growth, Some Peculiarities, and the Transnational Connections

Education and Research on Korea in New Zealand: Growth, Some Peculiarities, and the Transnational Connections 
Changzoo Song
University of Auckland

1. Introduction

Located in the South Pacific and populated mostly by Europeans and a Maori minority, New Zealand’s engagement with Asian countries was relatively weak until the 1980s. From the 1990s, however, when the country’s trade with Asia and Asian population grew, Asia became much more important than before. In 1987 New Zealand’s ‘European only’ immigration policy changed, and numbers of Asian immigrants have increased rapidly in the last two decades, and now nearly 10% of the population. With such economic and social changes, New Zealanders showed increasing interests in Asia, and this was reflected in education. New Zealanders’ academic and educational interest in Korea slowly grew in such a context.

New Zealand’s relationship with Korea is a special one. The Korean War (1950-53) brought the two countries closely together. When the War broke out in 1950 New Zealand was one of the first countries that sent troops to Korea, responding to the UN Security Council’s call for military assistance for South Korea. About 6,000 New Zealanders participated in the War (4,700 on land and 1,300 on frigates) and among them 45 soldiers lost their lives. New Zealand’s relationship with Korea continued after the War, and Korean dairy industry was helped by New Zealand’s farmers, who offered technical support in the 1960s. New Zealand also aided Korea by providing education and training for Koreans. In the 1960s and 1970s, more than three hundred Koreans received academic and technical training in New Zealand through the Colombo Plan. As the Korean economy grew rapidly in the 1970s and 1980s, the trade volume between the two countries also grew albeit slowly. By 2000 Korea became New Zealand’s sixth largest trade partner. New Zealand exported primary products including food, timber, and animal skin and meat to Korea and imported industrial goods from Korea. In 2014 the two countries signed Free Trade Agreement, and it is expected that the trade volume between the two countries would grow. The exchange of people between the two countries also has expanded. Today, Korea is an important source of tourists and international students for New Zealand. New Zealand has also become an important destination for Korean immigrants while many New Zealanders go to Korea to conduct business or to teach English.

New Zealand’s increasing economic, political, and cultural ties with Korea have also fostered academic interest in Korea’s culture, society and history. Hundreds of New Zealand students learn Korean at school and the number is increasing recently. The University of Auckland has offered Korean language courses since 1989 and it runs both undergraduate and post-graduate Korean Studies programs. Due to the country’s small population -- four and half million in 2015 -- and economy, however, Korean Studies as well as Asian Studies, programs in New Zealand is not comparable with those of other western countries such as the United States or the United Kingdom. As a matter of fact, in New Zealand the number of students learning Korean in secondary and tertiary institutions has been decreasing in the 2000s after it peaked in the mid-1990s. However, in the last few years the trend has been changed and a sharp increase in enrolment numbers for Korean language and Korea-related courses. In 2014 the number of students learning Korean language at the University of Auckland exceeded those of Chinese language, which is rather unusual.

This paper intends to explain the recent trends in the growth and development of Korean Studies in New Zealand, particularly at the University of Auckland. While reporting the trends and current status of Korean Studies and Korean language learning in New Zealand, this paper interprets the recent changes in the teaching and research in Korean Studies in this country. Such interpretation will be helpful in projecting the future of the discipline in New Zealand and also in other parts of the world. In the end, this report will also discuss some of the challenges and the strategies for promoting Korean Studies in the region.

2. Korean Language Education in New Zealand: Growth and a Success Story

By the early 1990s there was an increasing number of Asian immigrants in New Zealand and New Zealand’s trade with Asian countries was growing rapidly. In such a changing environment the New Zealand government felt the need to educate New Zealanders about Asian countries. Therefore, the government encouraged schools to offer Asian language classes. The New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade established the Asia 2000 Foundation – which later changed to the Asia New Zealand Foundation -- in 1993. Its mission is to raise New Zealanders' awareness and understanding of the countries and peoples of Asia and to provide the skills New Zealanders need to work effectively with Asian counterparts. To fulfill the missions the Asia 2000 Foundation intends to build New Zealand's links with Asia in the areas of education, business, media, culture and research. Encouraged by the fact that such a policy had been adopted by the New Zealand government, many schools in New Zealand began to offer Korean language classes in the 1990s in addition to already existing Japanese and Chinese language courses. More than 15 intermediate schools offered Korean language courses in mid-1990s. At high school level, Kelston Boys High School, Kelston Girls’ College and Pakuranga College – all located in Auckland area -- offered Korean language courses. The New Zealand government supported those courses financially and administratively. The number of students learning Korean continuously increased through the mid-1990s. However, after the financial crisis of Korea in 1997 the number of Korean language students began to decrease. At the same time, the number of Korean immigrants to New Zealand also drastically decreased. In addition, when the New Zealand government stopped financial support for Korean language teaching in 2000, many schools closed Korean language courses. Among the three high schools that used to offer Korean language classes, two schools discontinued the program. As shown in Table 1, only six intermediate schools and one high school are offering Korean language courses in 2006.

Table 1. Schools in Auckland which offer Korean language classes in 2006

Name of school	Number of classes	Number of students	Number of teaching staff
Henderson Intermediate	2	40	3
Howick Intermediate	10	100	11
Kelston Intermediate	4	120	3
Northcross Intermediate	4	130	5
Northcote Intermediate	8	200	9
Murrays Bay Intermediate	13	300	14
Kelston Boys’High School	4	55	1

Even in the case of Kelston Boys’ High School, which continues to offer Korean language courses in 2006, only about 55 students are learning the language. Students at Kelston Boys’ High School are required to choose a language subject from Japanese, Korean, Latin, Maori or Samoan. The decreasing number of high school students learning Korean is particularly a big concern for the Korean Studies Program at the University of Auckland. It is because reduced number of enrolments in Korean language classes at high school level would be reflected eventually in the overall enrolments in the Korean Studies program at university level. Conversely, the Japanese and Chinese language courses at the University of Auckland are well fed by a huge number of freshmen who want to continue their study of the languages at university level. The Korean community and Korean teachers have tried hard to maintain Korean language courses in secondary schools. However, the lack of external support and dwindling enrolments have made such efforts fruitless. Secondary school Korean language teachers in New Zealand are organized into the New Zealand Korean Language Teachers Association. The Association has held the annual Korean Speech Contest. The Association has also produced Korean language textbook for secondary school students. It successfully appealed to the New Zealand government and in 2002 Korean language was adopted as an official subject for the NCEA (National Certificate of Educational Achievement). According to the Association, however, it is difficult for the schools to offer Korean language courses without financial help from outside. In 2006 the Korean community in Auckland is making some effort to raise funds to support these programs. It is unlikely, however, that such efforts will bring substantial changes in foreseeable future unless there is governmental level support. This trend, however, has changed in the last few years and now more and more schools around Auckland region and elsewhere are offering Korean language class. Most of the schools listed in Table 1 stopped offering Korean language classes by 2009 due to lack of support from the New Zealand government and this did not change until 2012. This was particularly a worrying situation as this would impact the tertiary Korean language enrolments. Such a situation, nevertheless, changed when the Korean Cultural Centre was opened in Auckland by the ROK Ministry of Education, Science, and Technologies in 2012. The Korean Cultural Centre played active role in promoting Korean language and culture education at secondary school level, and gradually increasing number of high schools and intermediate level schools either reopened or newly opened their Korean language classes. By the end of 2014 more than twenty high school and intermediate level schools came to offer Korean languages courses.

Korean Language at University Level

At university level, the first Korean language course was offered in 1989 at the University of Auckland. With increasing interest in Asian countries among New Zealanders through the 1990s, the program flourished in the early 1990s and in 1994 the program developed to a full-scale Korean Studies Program within the School of Asian Studies. As the number of students studying Korean language increased, the Korean program hired two part-time tutors and a full-time lecturer in 1996. The Korean Program at the University of Auckland was generously supported by the Korea Foundation. In addition, the Yeongang Foundation in Korea offered several scholarships to University of Auckland Korean language students. With these scholarships, students could go to Korea and take intensive language courses at the Korean Language Program for Foreigners at Yonsei University. Through the 1990s, student enrolments in Korean language courses stayed strong. Each year 80 to 90 new students enrolled in Korean language classes and 20-30 students made their way to the final level (Stage III). The great majority of students were European New Zealanders while there were a small number of Asian students.

Korean language courses at the University of Auckland are organized from Stage I (100 level) through Stage III (300 level). Table 2 shows the structure of Korean language program at the University. With the effort to increase the number of enrolments in Korean language and also to meet the emerging need of the local Korean community, where the 1.5 generation Korean New Zealanders need to improve their Korean language skills, the Korean Program at the University of Auckland created a new course Korean 250 “Korean for Heritage Speakers.”

Table 2. Korean Language Courses Outline, University of Auckland, 2006

level	Korean as a Foreign Language	Korean for Native Speakers
STAGE I	KOREAN 110(S1) Korean for Beginners 1 KOREAN 111(S2) Korean for Beginners 2
STAGE II	KOREAN 200(S1) Intermediate Korean 1 KOREAN 201(S2) Intermediate Korean 2	Newly offered in 2006. Applicants for this course must be interviewed and sit a placement test. KOREAN 250 (S2) Korean for Heritage Speakers This course was, however, was discontinued due to lack of teaching staff.
STAGE III	KOREAN 300(S1) Advanced Korean 1 KOREAN 301(S2) Advanced Korean 2

In Oceania, differently from the US or Korea, a standard Bachelor of Art (BA) degree is completed in three years, not four. Therefore, Korean language courses are mostly comprised of six semesters, so that they can be finished in three years, depending on the university. In the case of the University of Auckland, students take six semesters’ of language courses (two at 100 level, two at 200 level, and two at 300 level) over three years. Each language course is comprised of 5 hours per semester, which is the standard in the region. However, this is changing in New Zealand and the new trend is for language courses to meet for four hours per week, one hour less than in the past. This is a concern for language teachers, as students will learn less. With the reform of university management practices in the early 2000s, this is becoming the standard at the University of Auckland. From 2007 all the language courses at the University (Korean, Japanese, and Chinese) will have four hours’ teaching.

The number of student enrolments in Korean language has declined, however, since the late 1990s. In the past few years there have been about 50 new enrolments in Korean language courses at the University of Auckland, which is only half of the number of the mid-1990s. As the number of enrolments reduced, the racial components of the student population also changed. Now, the great majority of the students learning Korean language are Chinese, not European New Zealanders. This is due to the increasing number of Chinese students in New Zealand. Additionally, the Hallyu (Korean Wave) effect in China also played a role. Chinese students come to New Zealand with the influence of Hallyu and they tend to show strong interest in things Korean even when they come to New Zealand for tertiary education. In the last few years there has been a small increase in the number of European New Zealanders, but they tend to learn Korean for only one or two years and seldom continue. This is because they are mostly people who want to go to Korea to work as English teachers, which is a good way for New Zealand students to pay back their student loans. In 2004 after almost fifteen years of long support, the Yeongang Foundation stopped its scholarship supports for our students.

Dwindling student enrolments in Korean language courses is a common concern for universities in Oceania. A similar reduction in student enrolment was reported in Australia. Nonetheless, there is no evidence that this trend will continue. Though the number of students learning Korean has continuously declined in the last several years in Oceania, there always is the possibility of a rebound. At the University of Auckland, this year (2006) the enrolments in Korean language courses showed a visible increase. Compared to the 50 new students in 2005, this year 68 students enrolled in the first year Korean language course.

There is a growing need for the 1.5 generation Koreans in New Zealand to improve their Korean language skills. The 1.5 generation Koreans are young adults who migrated to New Zealand when they were between 9-14 years old. They lack strong written skills in Korean, and our preliminary research shows that the new course will attract at least 30 students yearly, which will be a good boost for enrolment numbers in the Korean program. Similar courses are already offered in Australia with great success. It is expected that this new course will gain some popularity among the 1.5 generation New Zealand Koreans as they have reached the age of university education. The Korean Language Program at the University of Auckland is planning to establish a summer language program in Korea so that students can learn Korean in Korea. It is expected that this project will train 15-20 students each year.

From a long-tern perspective, as it will be discussed later, several factors promised the possibility of increasing enrolments in Korean Studies in the future. These factors included: the expanding and deepening trade between Korea and New Zealand, the increasing number of Korean immigrants and international students in New Zealand, and the continuing English language boom in Korea. The increasing number of Korean migrants in New Zealand and Australia, the expanding trade volume between Korea and New Zealand, and the on-going Hallyu are all positive factors for Korean Studies in the region. The many New Zealand young men and women who go to Korea to work as English teachers will also support future Korean Studies program here in New Zealand. First of all, many of them learn Korean language before they go to Korea. Upon returning from Korea after a few years’ of living in Korea, some of them choose to study Korean culture and society at graduate level.

Nonetheless, majoring in Korean language may not be a very practical option for university students in New Zealand. Regardless of such an adverse situation, Victoria University of Wellington opened also a Korean language course last year (in 2005). It was under the leadership of Dr. Stephen Epstein, Director of the Asian Studies Institute. In the first year the course attracted 30 students and this year (2006) the enrolment is still strong with 28.

Re-growth of Korean Language Enrolments Since 2012

Following charts show the huge gaps between the enrolment numbers of the Japanese (1420 EFTS), Chinese (894 EFTS), and Korean (206 EFTS) studies courses at the University of Auckland in 2004 and 2006.

Table 3. EFTS of the Korean Language and Culture Courses at the University of Auckland, 2004

2004 Summer School	KOREAN	377	Korean Study Abroad 3A	1
2004 First Semester	KOREAN	110	Korean for Beginners 1	48
2004 First Semester	KOREAN	200	Intermediate Korean 1	16
2004 First Semester	KOREAN	230	Trad and Modern Korean Lit	30
2004 First Semester	KOREAN	277	Korean Study Abroad 2A	1
2004 First Semester	KOREAN	300	Advanced Korean 1	9
2004 First Semester	KOREAN	708	Special Topic	4
2004 First Semester	KOREAN	710A	Special Studies	6
2004 First Semester	KOREAN	797A	Research Portfolio	1
2004 Second Semester	KOREAN	111	Korean for Beginners 2	21
2004 Second Semester	KOREAN	120	Korean Society and Culture	39
2004 Second Semester	KOREAN	201	Intermediate Korean 2	13
2004 Second Semester	KOREAN	301	Advanced Korean 2	7
2004 Second Semester	KOREAN	709	Special Topic	3
2004 Second Semester	KOREAN	710B	Special Studies	6
2004 Second Semester	KOREAN	797B	Research Portfolio	1
				206

Table 4. EFTS of the Chinese Language and Culture Courses at the University of Auckland, 2004

2004 Summer School	CHINESE	100	Beginning Modern Chinese 1	26
2004 Summer School	CHINESE	377	Chinese Study Abroad 3A	6
2004 First Semester	CHINESE	100	Beginning Modern Chinese 1	24
2004 First Semester	CHINESE	100	Beginning Modern Chinese 1	27
2004 First Semester	CHINESE	100	Beginning Modern Chinese 1	23
2004 First Semester	CHINESE	100	Beginning Modern Chinese 1	26
2004 First Semester	CHINESE	100	Beginning Modern Chinese 1	27
2004 First Semester	CHINESE	100	Beginning Modern Chinese 1	26
2004 First Semester	CHINESE	110	Chinese for Native Speakers	25
2004 First Semester	CHINESE	200	Intermediate Modern Chinese 1	73
2004 First Semester	CHINESE	300	Advanced Modern Chinese 1	54
2004 First Semester	CHINESE	304	Classical Chinese 1	55
2004 First Semester	CHINESE	700A	Adv Modern Chinese:4th Year	9
2004 First Semester	CHINESE	707	Tchg Chinese as Foreign Lang 1	9
2004 First Semester	CHINESE	716A	River Elegy and Chinese Cultu	5
2004 First Semester	CHINESE	722A	A Course-related Research	1
2004 First Semester	CHINESE	726	Chinese Semantics and Syntax	4
2004 First Semester	CHINESE	727	Chinese NZers: Special Studies	4
2004 First Semester	CHINESE	728	Special Topic	5
2004 First Semester	CHINESE	729A	Special Topic	5
2004 First Semester	CHINESE	730	Research Essay	1
2004 First Semester	CHINESE	730A	Research Essay	1
2004 First Semester	CHINESE	790	Dissertation	1
2004 First Semester	CHINESE	790A	Dissertation	6
2004 First Semester	CHINESE	790B	Dissertation	1
2004 Second Semester	CHINESE	101	Beginning Modern Chinese 2	16
2004 Second Semester	CHINESE	101	Beginning Modern Chinese 2	25
2004 Second Semester	CHINESE	101	Beginning Modern Chinese 2	17
2004 Second Semester	CHINESE	101	Beginning Modern Chinese 2	36
2004 Second Semester	CHINESE	101	Beginning Modern Chinese 2	10
2004 Second Semester	CHINESE	101	Beginning Modern Chinese 2	5
2004 Second Semester	CHINESE	130	Rethinking China	108
2004 Second Semester	CHINESE	201	Intermediate Modern Chinese 2	42
2004 Second Semester	CHINESE	210	Chinese for Business	29
2004 Second Semester	CHINESE	222	Modern Chinese Lit in Transltn	14
2004 Second Semester	CHINESE	301	Advanced Modern Chinese 2	49
2004 Second Semester	CHINESE	305	Classical Chinese 2	53
2004 Second Semester	CHINESE	700B	Adv Modern Chinese:4th Year	9
2004 Second Semester	CHINESE	716B	River Elegy and Chinese Cultu	5
2004 Second Semester	CHINESE	722	A Course-related Research	1
2004 Second Semester	CHINESE	722B	A Course-related Research	1
2004 Second Semester	CHINESE	725	Advanced Translation Practice	14
2004 Second Semester	CHINESE	728	Special Topic	3
2004 Second Semester	CHINESE	729B	Special Topic	5
2004 Second Semester	CHINESE	730B	Research Essay	1
2004 Second Semester	CHINESE	732A	Special Studies	1
2004 Second Semester	CHINESE	790B	Dissertation	6
				894

Table 5. EFTS of the Japanese Language and Culture Courses at the University of Auckland, 2004

2004 Summer School	JAPANESE	131	Intro to Japanese Language 2	26
2004 Summer School	JAPANESE	377	Japanese Study Abroad 3A	1
2004 First Semester	JAPANESE	130	Intro to Japanese Language 1	210
2004 First Semester	JAPANESE	222A	Struct Analy of Japanese Lang	18
2004 First Semester	JAPANESE	231	Intermediate Japanese 1	34
2004 First Semester	JAPANESE	231	Intermediate Japanese 1	34
2004 First Semester	JAPANESE	231	Intermediate Japanese 1	34
2004 First Semester	JAPANESE	231	Intermediate Japanese 1	35
2004 First Semester	JAPANESE	231	Intermediate Japanese 1	35
2004 First Semester	JAPANESE	270	Japanese Culture and Society	101
2004 First Semester	JAPANESE	331	Advanced Japanese 1	30
2004 First Semester	JAPANESE	331	Advanced Japanese 1	30
2004 First Semester	JAPANESE	331	Advanced Japanese 1	31
2004 First Semester	JAPANESE	341	Postwar Literature	28
2004 First Semester	JAPANESE	704A	Language:Jookyuu Nihongo	6
2004 First Semester	JAPANESE	721A	Intro to Japanese Linguistics	3
2004 First Semester	JAPANESE	725A	1
2004 First Semester	JAPANESE	731A	Approved Topic(s) in Culture	2
2004 First Semester	JAPANESE	742A	Readings in Modern Japanese	3
2004 First Semester	JAPANESE	744A	Special Topic	2
2004 First Semester	JAPANESE	790A	Dissertation	1
2004 First Semester	JAPANESE	797A	Research Portfolio	2
2004 Second Semester	JAPANESE	131	Intro to Japanese Language 2	176
2004 Second Semester	JAPANESE	150	Japan: A Survey	184
2004 Second Semester	JAPANESE	222B	Struct Analy of Japanese Lang	18
2004 Second Semester	JAPANESE	232	Intermediate Japanese 2	21
2004 Second Semester	JAPANESE	232	Intermediate Japanese 2	18
2004 Second Semester	JAPANESE	232	Intermediate Japanese 2	36
2004 Second Semester	JAPANESE	232	Intermediate Japanese 2	30
2004 Second Semester	JAPANESE	232	Intermediate Japanese 2	29
2004 Second Semester	JAPANESE	240	Intro to Japanese Literature	68
2004 Second Semester	JAPANESE	307	Classical Japanese Language	29
2004 Second Semester	JAPANESE	322	Japanese Linguistics	13
2004 Second Semester	JAPANESE	332	Advanced Japanese 2	24
2004 Second Semester	JAPANESE	332	Advanced Japanese 2	30
2004 Second Semester	JAPANESE	332	Advanced Japanese 2	26
2004 Second Semester	JAPANESE	385	Topics in Jap Culture and Soc	28
2004 Second Semester	JAPANESE	704B	Language: Jookyuu Nihongo	6
2004 Second Semester	JAPANESE	705	Advanced Japanese Translation	2
2004 Second Semester	JAPANESE	721B	Intro to Japanese Linguistics	3
2004 Second Semester	JAPANESE	725B	Japanese Phonology and Morphol	1
2004 Second Semester	JAPANESE	731B	Approved Topic(s) in Culture	2
2004 Second Semester	JAPANESE	742B	Readings in Modern Japanese	3
2004 Second Semester	JAPANESE	743	Special Topic	1
2004 Second Semester	JAPANESE	744B	Special Topic	2
2004 Second Semester	JAPANESE	790B	Dissertation	1
2004 Second Semester	JAPANESE	797B	Research Portfolio	2
				1420

Tw years later (in 2006) the enrolments gap among the Japanese, Chinese and Korean language and culture courses was not very different from that of 2004.

Table 6. EFTS of the Japanese Language and Culture Courses at the University of Auckland, 2006

2006 First Semester	JAPANESE	130	Intro to Japanese Language 1	196
2006 First Semester	JAPANESE	130G	Intro to Japanese, Language 1	40
2006 First Semester	JAPANESE	150	Japan: A Survey	136
2006 First Semester	JAPANESE	231	Intermediate Japanese 1	167
2006 First Semester	JAPANESE	240	Intro to Japanese Literature	54
2006 First Semester	JAPANESE	307	Classical Language and Culture	45
2006 First Semester	JAPANESE	331	Advanced Japanese 1	102
2006 First Semester	JAPANESE	341	Nation, Otherness, Text	14
2006 First Semester	JAPANESE	706	Advanced Language Acquisition	7
2006 First Semester	JAPANESE	721	Intro to Japanese Linguistics	3
2006 First Semester	JAPANESE	723A	Problems in Japanese Syntax	5
2006 First Semester	JAPANESE	744A	Special Topic	3
2006 First Semester	JAPANESE	750	Lang Analy for Teachers of Jap	5
2006 First Semester	JAPANESE	792A	Dissertation	1
2006 Second Semester	JAPANESE	131	Intro to Japanese Language 2	151
2006 Second Semester	JAPANESE	222	Analysis of Japanese Language	44
2006 Second Semester	JAPANESE	232	Intermediate Japanese 2	138
2006 Second Semester	JAPANESE	242	Special Topic	27
2006 Second Semester	JAPANESE	270	Japanese Culture and Society	73
2006 Second Semester	JAPANESE	322	Japanese Linguistics	6
2006 Second Semester	JAPANESE	332	Advanced Japanese 2	95
2006 Second Semester	JAPANESE	385	Topics in Jap Culture and Soc	28
2006 Second Semester	JAPANESE	393	Japanese Media	52
2006 Second Semester	JAPANESE	723B	Problems in Japanese Syntax	5
2006 Second Semester	JAPANESE	744B	Special Topic	3
2006 Second Semester	JAPANESE	745	Directed Study	3
2006 Second Semester	JAPANESE	747	Directed Study	1
2006 Second Semester	JAPANESE	751	Teachng Japanse as a Frgn Lang	3
2006 Second Semester	JAPANESE	792B	Dissertation	1
2006 Second Semester	JAPANESE	797A	Research Portfolio	1
				1409

Table 7. EFTS of the Chinese Language and Culture Courses at the University of Auckland, 2006

2006 First Semester	CHINESE	100G	Beginning Modern Chinese 1	3
2006 First Semester	CHINESE	100G	Beginning Modern Chinese 1	1
2006 First Semester	CHINESE	100G	Beginning Modern Chinese 1	4
2006 First Semester	CHINESE	110	Chinese for Native Speakers	28
2006 First Semester	CHINESE	200	Intermediate Modern Chinese 1	66
2006 First Semester	CHINESE	300	Advanced Modern Chinese 1	40
2006 First Semester	CHINESE	304	Classical Chinese 1	32
2006 First Semester	CHINESE	325	Contemporary Chinese Lit	14
2006 First Semester	CHINESE	707	Tchg Chinese as Foreign Lang 1	6
2006 First Semester	CHINESE	724	Chinese Film and Pop Culture	4
2006 First Semester	CHINESE	729A	Special Topic	1
2006 First Semester	CHINESE	730	Directed Study	2
2006 First Semester	CHINESE	735	Intro to Chinese Linguistics	4
2006 First Semester	CHINESE	790B	Dissertation	1
2006 Second Semester	CHINESE	101	Beginning Modern Chinese 2	11
2006 Second Semester	CHINESE	101	Beginning Modern Chinese 2	24
2006 Second Semester	CHINESE	101	Beginning Modern Chinese 2	25
2006 Second Semester	CHINESE	101	Beginning Modern Chinese 2	25
2006 Second Semester	CHINESE	101	Beginning Modern Chinese 2	23
2006 Second Semester	CHINESE	101	Beginning Modern Chinese 2	9
2006 Second Semester	CHINESE	130	Rethinking China	98
2006 Second Semester	CHINESE	201	Intermediate Modern Chinese 2	51
2006 Second Semester	CHINESE	210	Chinese for Business	31
2006 Second Semester	CHINESE	301	Advanced Modern Chinese 2	35
2006 Second Semester	CHINESE	305	Classical Chinese 2	19
2006 Second Semester	CHINESE	708	Teach Chinese as Foreign Lan 2	7
2006 Second Semester	CHINESE	725	Advanced Translation Practice	21
2006 Second Semester	CHINESE	727	Chinese New Zealanders	2
2006 Second Semester	CHINESE	729B	Special Topic	1
2006 Second Semester	CHINESE	730	Directed Study	4
2006 Second Semester	CHINESE	736	Chinese Phonology and Dialects	3
2006 Second Semester	CHINESE	737	Research Essay	2
2006 Second Semester	CHINESE	780	Dissertation	1
2006 Doctoral Academic Year	CHINESE	898	PhD Chinese	2
				827

Table 8. EFTS of the Korean Language and Culture Courses at the University of Auckland, 2006

2006 First Sem	KOREAN	110	Korean for Beginners 1	55
2006 First Sem	KOREAN	110G	Korean for Beginners 1	11
2006 First Sem	KOREAN	200	Intermediate Korean 1	13
2006 First Seme	KOREAN	230	Trad and Modern Korean Lit	23
2006 First Sem	KOREAN	300	Advanced Korean 1	8
2006 Second Sem	KOREAN	111	Korean for Beginners 2	23
2006 Second Sem	KOREAN	120	Korean Society and Culture	33
2006 Second Sem	KOREAN	201	Intermediate Korean 2	11
2006 Second Sem	KOREAN	250	Korean for Heritage Speakers	38
2006 Second Sem	KOREAN	277	Korean Study Abroad 2A	1
2006 Second Sem	KOREAN	301	Advanced Korean 2	6
2006 Second Sem	KOREAN	705	Advanced Translation Practice	7
				229

3. Korean Studies in New Zealand: A steady development

Korean Studies Teaching at University Level

As mentioned above, Korean Studies in New Zealand started at the University of Auckland. Still today the University of Auckland is the only university that offers BA and MA degrees in Korean Studies. At the University of Auckland any students majoring in Korean Studies are required to take both language and non-language courses. In general, they are required to take six courses in Korean language (one language course per semester) plus additional non-language courses. For a major in Korean Studies (B.A.), students must take at least nine courses (including four 300 level Korean language courses in addition to core courses such as Korean 120 (“Introduction to Korean Society and Culture”), and Asian 100 (“Images of Asia”). For a Korean Studies minor, students are required to take at least six courses, including four courses above 100 level.

Table 3 below shows all the non-language Korean Studies courses (they are referred as “culture courses”) offered at the University of Auckland. However, most of the “Culture Courses” listed in this programme outline are not exactly “Korean Studies.” Only two are genuinely Korean Studies courses (Korean 120 “Introduction to Korean Society and Culture” and Korean 230 “Modern and Pre-modern Korean Literature”) while the others are Asian Studies courses. This is the reality for many universities in New Zealand and Australia.

Table 9. Non-language Korean Studies Courses Outline, University of Auckland, 2006

Level	Korean Studies (Culture Courses)
STAGE I	ASIAN 100 (S1) Images of Asia KOREAN 120 (S2) Korean Society and Culture
STAGE II	#ASIAN 200 (S1) Asian Identities *ASIAN 206 Globalisation and East Asia #ASIAN 207 (S2) East Asian Films KOREAN 230 (S1) Traditional and Modern Korean Literature
STAGE III	ASIAN 302 (S1) Asian Diasporas *ASIAN 305 Popular Culture in Asia

One thing to be mentioned here regarding the “culture courses” of Korean Studies is that Korean Studies curricula in Oceania show very low level of standardization despite the fact that Korean Studies is a relatively small discipline. Compared to language courses, non-language courses are much less standardized in terms of their contents, level, and course numbers. For example, at the University of Auckland the non-language “culture papers” are limited in terms of number due the limited number of teachers. There are only two “Korean Studies” courses, Korean Studies 120 “Introduction to Korean Society and Culture” and Korean 230 “Traditional and Modern Korean Literature.” Even when courses have same titles such as “Korean Society and Culture” the contents of the courses differ depending on the specialties of teachers.

Basic survey courses such as the “Korean Society and Culture” are differently titled and course-numbered at different universities in the region. For example, “Introduction to Korean Society and Culture” (Korean 120) at the University of Auckland is comparable to the “Contemporary Korean Society” (Asian 2049) of the Australian National University and the “Contemporary Korean Society and Culture” (Korean 2675) of the University of Sydney, and the “Korean Civilisation and Culture” (Korean 2500) of the University of New South Wales. Even for these courses, the content and level at each university are very different. The contents and texts used vary depending on the specialties of the teachers. The great majority of Koreanists in the region are in the field of humanities -- particularly linguistics and history -- while there are only a limited number of social scientists, for example, anthropologists. While diversity in curricula might be positive in some aspects, it is desirable that the discipline has a more standardized curriculum with relatively integrated contents and well set levels. This is important for the long term development of the discipline.

Another point to be emphasized is that Area Studies are moving from nationally to regionally focused, to being transnationally, and globally focused. This means that from learners’ perspective Korea could be better understood in the context of the region of Northeast Asia. It also means that Korea-based content may not be taught only in Korean Studies courses, but it could be taught in other courses that are more broadly titled, such as in “Asian Studies” courses.

In many universities, more courses are named regionally as “Asian” rather than nationally as “Korean,” “Japanese,” or “Chinese.” In addition, Korean topics are covered in many “Asian” (or “Japanese” and “Chinese”) courses. This could be a reflection of today’s highly transnational and globalized world. This indicates something important to us as academics interested in promoting the knowledge of Korea. Students learn about Korea not only through Korean Studies courses but also through other courses, for example, courses on the history of modern Japan or modern China, or even from broader courses such as “Understanding Asian Culture.” Korean Studies is fundamentally a national study, but we should pay attention to the recent changes in our world. In this regard, it is suggested that the Korean government’s support for overseas Korean Studies programs should extend to these kinds of courses which have substantial Korea-related contents.

The Asian Studies Development Program of the east-West Center could be a good model. The Asian Studies Development Program, launched in 2000 by the east-West Center at the University of Hawaii, has the goal of reaching out to non-Korean Studies scholars who partly deal with Korea in their Asia-related courses. The program’s target participants are from various universities in North America and Oceania, and are all Asia-related researchers and teachers (Asian Studies, Japanese Studies, Chinese Studies and so on). No one has been to Korea before. In that program participants learn about Korea from specialists in Korean Studies. The training is held at the University of Hawaii for the first two weeks and then at the Seoul National University in the following week. The last part of the program is excursions to historical sites of Korea. Most participants report that they feel more confident about including more Korea contents in their Asian Studies courses after the four week program. There is no doubt that such a program will enhance Korean Studies and the teaching of Korea at university level.

Another new trend is that universities are offering more double-majors (conjoint majors), and are offering a mix of Area Studies and other academic disciplines such as Film and Media, Business, Law and so on. For example, increasing percentage of students at the University of Auckland’s Korean Studies courses are conjoint students, doing more than one degree, i.e., Korean Studies with either Commerce or Law. There are not many students who want to major only in Korean Studies. In this dynamic world, this trend seems to be only natural. Both Korean Studies scholars and policy makers of Korean Studies support agencies should consider this new trend. Finally, the development of textbooks and courses readers for Korean Studies courses has been a long-term wish of all Korean Studies teachers. Individual Korean studies scholars have made good texts and used them in their courses without necessarily sharing their experiences. There is a grave need to share the various experiences and knowledge of teachers in producing good text materials. This will also help the standardization of the discipline mentioned above.

Korean Studies Research

As mentioned above, the University of Auckland is the only tertiary institute that has a full degree program for Korean Studies, offering courses both in language and cultural subjects. The Korean Studies program at the University of Auckland was established in 1989 and then developed into a full program in 1994. Thanks to generous support from the Korea Foundation the Korean Studies Centre was established in 1995. The Korean Studies Centre runs yearly Korean Studies symposium and holds cultural exhibitions occasionally. The Centre could be more active and efficient in promoting Korean Studies, both in research and teaching, in New Zealand. One possible project would be creating a scholarship which will help undergraduate students to go to Korea for advanced Korean language courses. Such a scholarship would be particularly helpful for the Korean Studies program at the University especially because the Yeon’gang Scholarship has been discontinued in 2004 after more than fifteen years of support.

There are several active Korean studies researchers in New Zealand. First of all, there is Associate Professor Hong-key Yoon at the Geography and Environmental Science, University of Auckland. Professor Yoon is the first Korean academic to work in New Zealand. He came to New Zealand in 1974 soon after his completion of Ph.D. at the University of California at Berkeley. He contributed greatly to the establishment of the Korean Studies program at the University. His research areas include cultural geography and Korean geomancy. Dr. Inshil Choe Yoon has been teaching Korea language at the University of Auckland since 1989. Dr. Choe Yoon’s research specialty is Korean language education and Korean geographical thoughts. Dr. Young-Hee Lee has been the Director of the Korean Studies Centre since 1996. Her specialty is in traditional and modern Korean Literature and she teaches Korean language and literature. Dr. Changzoo Song joined the School of Asian Studies in 2002. His research areas are Korean nationalism and diasporic communities and he teaches “Korean Society and Culture” (Korean 120) and “Asian Diasporas” (Asian 302).

In other universities in New Zealand there are also several prominent scholars in Korean Studies. First of all, Dr. Stephen Epstein of the Victoria University of Wellington is a talented and energetic scholar. He works on both Classics and Korean Studies. His interests in Korean Studies range from modern literature to popular culture. Dr. Epstein is currently serving as the Director of the Asian Studies Institute, Victoria University of Wellington. Professor Tim Beal, of the same university, is in the Business Management Department, and he conducts research on North Korea. He is also active in promoting interests on Korea in New Zealand. At the University of Otago in Dunedin is Dr. Jae-Jung Song, who is a leading linguist of the region.

Korean and Asian Studies scholars of New Zealand and Australia are connected through three academic societies: the New Zealand Asian Studies Association (NZASA), the Korean Studies Association of Australasia (KSAA) and the Asian Studies Association in Australasia (ASAA). These academic societies hold conferences regularly, and the 2005 biennial meeting of the KSAA was held at the University of Auckland. The conference was supported by the Korea Foundation, the Academy of Korean Studies and the University of Auckland. The meeting attracted more than 80 papers and about 120 participants. The KSAA also administers the KF-KSAA graduate scholarship in the region. Several graduate students of the University of Auckland have benefited from the scholarship since it was established in 2003. As this scholarship is well established by now, it will attract more graduate students to the universities in the region. As mentioned above, there are many good graduate students in New Zealand. Both the growing number of 1.5 generation New Zealand Koreans and New Zealanders who return from Korea after having served as English teachers, returning from Korea with first-hand knowledge on Korean society, culture and politics, indicate that we will have a bright future in terms of excellent graduate students.

In addition to local scholars and graduate students, visiting scholars are also a great asset for Korean studies in New Zealand. Most visiting scholars in Korean Studies in New Zealand come from Korea and they are hosted by the University of Auckland or Victoria University of Wellington. These scholars contribute greatly to the development of Korean Studies in New Zealand, serving both as co-researchers and guest lecturers. Many of them are interested in the Korean community in New Zealand and Korea-New Zealand relationship. Currently, Professor Jong-seon Hong, Korean language specialist at the Korea University, is a visiting fellow at the School of Asian Studies, University of Auckland. Professor Kwang-shick Kang, a senior researcher in international relations and Korean Studies scholar at the Academy of Korean Studies, is visiting Victoria University of Wellington. We hope that more Korean Studies scholars will visit us for their sabbatical research years. Limited library resources in Korean Studies in New Zealand might be a disadvantage for prospective visiting scholars. However, New Zealand can offer many other things to visiting scholars. In particular, visiting scholars from Korea can accompany their children so that they can benefit from New Zealand’s excellent educational environment.

The year 2012 was an important watershed in the development of Korean Studies programme and research at the University of Auckland. This change was brought by the University’s successful bid for the Core University Programme in Korean Studies administered by the Korean Studies Promotion Services of the Academy of Korean Studies. The University’s Korean Studies team received NZ$1.1 million support for a 5-year plan for the enhancement of the Korean Studies education and research. This fund immediately helped the small Korean Studies programme of the University of Auckland to grow both in enrolment numbers (thanks to the offering of more courses) and research outputs (thanks to the research funds available for researchers). With the fund the programme was able to hire two post-doctoral researchers/teachers as well as tutors who help teaching staff. It also helped the university’s Korean programme to be more closely networked with other programmes in Australia, USA, China and Japan.

4. Hidden Factor Behind the Unusual Growth: Transnationalism and Chinese Students

Then, just how and why the Korean Studies programme at the University of Auckland could grow so fast in the last few years? There are several factors behind the positive changes and they include Hallyu, increasing trade between Korea and New Zealand, diversity within New Zealand society, Korea’s stance in global economy.

One prominent factor behind the remarkable and rather unusual increase in the number of students enrolled in the Korean language and culture courses, however, are the ever-growing number of ethnic Chinese students who are either born in New Zealand or migrated from other countries such as China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore, and Malaysia. As a matter of fact, Korean language and culture course classrooms are filled with ethnic Chinese students and this phenomenon has been observed already in the early 2000s in North America and Oceania. In the case of the University of Auckland, ethnic Chinese students tend to comprise over 60-70% of all Korean language classes and over 40% in the case of Korean culture and society courses. Chinese are the single largest group in any Korea-related courses.

Why are ethnic Chinese students so prominent in Korean language and culture courses, then? First of all, this is due to the popularity of Korean popular culture in Asia. Ethnic Chinese students, no matter where they might come from, are already familiar with Hallyu trend, and they tend to prefer learning Korean language and culture, history and so on. This is also visible in their frequenting to Korean fashion shops, hair salons, restaurants, and supermarkets in Auckland. With only 30,000 Koreans in New Zealand and whose number has been declining continuously in the last several years, these Korean shops were losing their business ten years ago. Now, however, they are revived and frequented by Chinese students.

The number of Chinese migrants to New Zealand and Australia, as elsewhere, has been growing continuously and this trend has been expedited in the last several years. Chinese population in New Zealand exceeded 171,000 in 2013 census, making themselves as the largest Asian population in the country. They are also the fastest growing migrants as well. With China’s economic growth as well as slowed growth rate, more Chinese seem to opt migrate to countries such as New Zealand in search of better physical, educational and political environment. Such a trend will continue at least for the next decade. This means that ethnic Chinese students will fill in the Korean language and culture courses at the University of Auckland continuously. In this regard, Korean Studies programme will benefit from this trend continuously. Similar phenomena have been reported from Australia, Canada and the USA.

Meanwhile, another interesting phenomenon is that student enrolments in Chinese language and culture courses have been decreasing, rather drastically in the last three years at the University of Auckland. We are not sure if the same trend is true in other countries including Canada and the USA, but at least this is visible here in Oceania. Then, why have Chinese language and culture courses have shrunken in terms of their enrolment number in the last few years? Now, surprisingly, this is related to the decreasing number of Korean students, who are normally the great majority of these classes. In the case of the University of Auckland, in the last four years there has been 50% less ethnic Korean students (both domestic and international students, but more international students). Again, this is related to the decreasing number of migrants from Korea. Korean economy has been stagnating in the last decade with its growth rate only about 2% in the last fifteen years (Table 10).

Table 10. Korea’s Dwindling Growth Rate between 2000 and 2014

With such a stagnated economy, youth unemployment problem in Korea is also more serious than in other OECD countries. With very limited chance for employment, Korean students and their parents may hesitate in investing money in overseas education, which explains the decreasing number of international students from Korea. This is also combined with the country’s demographic structure in which the younger generation becomes smaller as we move to younger age population. Considering these structural features of the decrease in international students from Korea, we can expect that this trend will stay rather than changing drastically in the visible future.

5. The Future of Korean Studies in New Zealand: A Great Possibility and Chinese Students

Korean Studies is still a developing discipline here in New Zealand. Korean language program has shown ups and downs. From a long term perspective, however, the future of Korean Studies in New Zealand is bright. This is particularly true when we consider the growing and deepening economic, cultural and political relationship between Korea and New Zealand. First of all, New Zealand and Korea are important trade partners today. Overall, Korea is the sixth largest trading partner of New Zealand with an annual volume of trade exceeding NZ$ 2 billion. The character of trade between the two countries is complementary: New Zealand exporting resources for Korea’s industrial processing needs while Korea supplying important capital and consumer goods for New Zealand. New Zealand exports timber, beef, aluminium, sheep and dairy products to Korea. Korea sells vehicles, machinery, chemicals and communication equipment to New Zealand. Though it will take some time, the two countries are discussing the possibility of a Free Trade Agreement (FTA). Considering such a complementary trade structure between the two countries, an FTA may not be a remote future event.

New Zealand is an important country for the education of Korean students. Each year thousands of Korean students arrive in New Zealand to learn English. Currently about 17,000 Korean students are studying in New Zealand, making Korea the second largest source of international students after China. Many others also come to New Zealand to study at primary, secondary and tertiary education. New Zealand’s being a popular destination for Korean and other Asian students has important implications for Korean Studies in New Zealand’s universities. First of all, many Korean students, who come to university after finishing their schooling in New Zealand, frequently take Korea-related courses at university level. The same is true for many Asian students, Chinese students in particular, and they also tend to take Korea-related courses at university. Indeed, Chinese students are the single largest group in the Korean Studies courses at the University of Auckland. Chinese students bring Hallyu fever to New Zealand from China. Chinese students in Auckland do not just fill the numerous Korea-related courses at the University of Auckland. They are also strong consumers of Korean cultural products such as films, dramas, food and fashion. In this regard, New Zealand is directly and indirectly contributing to the globalization of the Hallyu trend by attracting Chinese students to New Zealand.

New Zealanders also go to Korea to teach English and work in professional fields. Today there are about 1,500 to 2,000 New Zealanders in Korea. A large number of them are English teachers but there are also a big number of professionals and business people. According to the New Zealand Embassy in Seoul, over 1,000 New Zealanders are teaching English in Korea in 2006. They are mostly young in age and European in ethnic background. As stated above, these young New Zealanders are an important source for the future development of Korean Studies in New Zealand. Some of them pursue postgraduate degrees in Korean/Asian Studies after returning to New Zealand. With their first-hand knowledge and experience in Korea, they will make the future Korea experts of New Zealand in the fields of business, government, and academia. Already, a good number of such former English teachers are working in business world and government organizations. In Korea are also a substantial number of Koreans with New Zealand residence and citizenship. These New Zealand Koreans are very much transnational in their lifestyle and they reside comfortably in both worlds. It is expected that they will also play an important role for the future of the two countries.

As it is known, New Zealand is also a popular destination for Korean immigrants. Since New Zealand opened its immigration to Asians in the late 1980s thousands of Koreans have immigrated to New Zealand every year. The number of Korean immigrants in New Zealand grew strongly from 930 in 1991 to almost 20,000 in 2002. Korean immigrants in New Zealand are mostly with upper middle class background and they are in their thirties and forties at the time of migration. They normally accompany children in their pre-teens and now the 1.5 generation are in universities, and soon we expect that the second generation will start entering universities. As is the case elsewhere, 1.5 generation and second generation young immigrants in New Zealand tend to show great interest in their own cultural background. It is expected that many of them will be in university level Korea-related classes soon. As mentioned above, at the University of Auckland a new course “Korean for heritage Speakers” (Korean 250) has been created to meet the needs of the 1.5 generation.

In addition, New Zealand has become an important destination for Korean tourists. Each year the number of Korean tourists to New Zealand grows. In 2005 more than 130,000 Korean tourists visited New Zealand. This makes Korea the fifth largest source of tourists for New Zealand, and the second largest tourism source among Asian countries. As Korea emerges as a large tourism source country for New Zealand, there is a growing need for New Zealanders to learn basics of Korean language and culture. This again will create demand for Korea-related courses both at secondary and tertiary level schools.

New Zealand and Korea are also excellent potential partners in science, technology, investment and culture. Increasing numbers of Korean scholars are visiting academic institutions of New Zealand. At the School of Asian Studies, University of Auckland, we receive several inquiries per year about visiting fellowships from Korean academics. Currently, the University of Auckland has MOUs with five prominent academic institutes in Korea: Seoul National University, Yonsei University, Korea University, the Academy of Korean Studies, and the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST).

The two countries also cooperate closely in film making. Several recent Korean films were partly made in New Zealand – “Old Boy,” “Silmido,” and “Antartic Journal” to name a few. They also have cooperative relations in defence and security. Recently, there was speculation about the possible mediating role of New Zealand between the two Koreas. As a small and peace-oriented country, New Zealand can potentially play a leading mediating role in inter-Korean relations. New Zealand was one of the first western countries that established diplomatic relations with North Korea when the international community was encouraged to do so by the South Korean government.

6. Conclusion

Area Studies in the West is very much a post-Second World War phenomenon, and it developed to meet the policy needs of Western governments of the time, and the programs have declined or prospered depending on changes in the global environment. Korean Studies is not an exception, and there have been times of ups and downs. Korea’s economic and cultural prosperity are a positive factor for the development of Korean studies in today’s world.

The trade relationship and cultural ties between Korea and New Zealand are expanding. The human exchanges between the two countries have been notably increased in the last decade. The Korean community in New Zealand will grow steadily in the long run. More New Zealanders will return from Korea with first-hand experience and knowledge of Korea. The increasing number of Chinese, Taiwanese, Hong Kongese and other Asian students bring the influence of the Hallyu trend to New Zealand. All these will raise the importance of Korean Studies in New Zealand. Meanwhile, the decreasing number of international students from Korea hit Chinese language programme at least at the University of Auckland.

Considering all these, it is safe to say that the future of Korean studies in New Zealand is very bright. As a matter of fact, the University of Auckland’s Korean Studies program, with its three full-time staff and substantial library resources, is one of the biggest in the region. It is almost on par with Leiden University’s Korean Studies program, one of the biggest in Europe, in terms of the number of staff. Now, it is the task of us, local Korean studies scholars, to work harder to promote the discipline in New Zealand. It is needless to say that we also should work on promoting interests on New Zealand in Korea. In the other hand, we are afraid if this expansion of Korean Studies does not necessarily mean increasing soft power of Korea. Rather, it might indicate the long-term decline of the power of Korea, which is uncanny.

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