Professor Qu Feng Visits the Institute of Russian Studies at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies
Recently, Professor Qu Feng, Director of the Arctic Studies Center at Liaocheng University, was invited to visit the Institute of Russian Studies at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies (Seoul, South Korea), where he met with Institute Director Professor Choi Woo-ik and other researchers and signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) with the institute.
The meeting was moderated by Associate Professor Song Joon-seo of the Institute of Russian Studies. Director Choi Woo-ik delivered a welcome address and introduced the institute's development history, team composition, and major research achievements in Russian and Arctic regional studies. Professor Qu Feng, in turn, highlighted the research teams, academic progress, and international collaboration efforts of Liaocheng University and its Arctic Studies Center, with particular emphasis on significant outcomes in the field of Arctic and sub-Arctic humanities research.
In the final stage of the meeting, Professor Qu Feng and Professor Choi Woo-ik signed an MOA on behalf of their respective institutions, outlining future collaboration in areas such as Arctic humanities research, scholar exchanges, and joint academic conferences.
Korean participants also included Professor Kim Min-soo, an expert on Russian minority issues; Professor Kim Seon-rae, an expert on Russian economy and international relations; Professor Hwang Sung-Woo, an expert on Russian history and culture; Research Professor Kim Yu-jeong, an economist; Research Professor Kim Hye-Jin, a folklorist; Research Professor Ra Seung-do, a specialist in Russian literature; Research Professor Eo Keon-Joo, a linguist; and Research Professor Lee Sung-min. Also in attendance was Professor Kim Won-ho, Professor Emeritus of Hankuk University of Foreign Studies and Chief Expert of the Caribbean Research Center at Liaocheng University.
Participants on the Chinese side included Dr. Cao Runze and Ms. Li Chen.
Founded in 1954, Hankuk University of Foreign Studies is the birthplace of foreign language education in South Korea and is widely recognized as one of Asia's premier universities for foreign language and area studies. Its Institute of Russian Studies, established in 1972 and originally named the "Institute of Soviet and East European Studies," was renamed to its current title in 1993. It is a key institution for Russian studies in South Korea, with current research areas encompassing Russian society and culture, population migration, and Arctic socio-culture. In 2020, in response to international trends in Arctic research, the institute established a Polar Research Center within its Russian studies framework, further expanding its academic footprint in polar regions.
This visit has laid a solid foundation for in-depth cooperation between the two universities in the field of Arctic and sub-Arctic humanities research.
Author: Qiao Juan