St Petersburg University and Consulate General of Korea have signed an agreement to entitle SPBU to hold a test of proficiency in Korean TOPIK. The University is the first institution at St Petersburg to hold TOPIK.

2017 12 08 podpisanie dogovora peredacha knig koreya min 16

“The University has the oldest school of Korean study in Europe, which celebrate its 120-anniversary this year. This year, we have opened the Department of Korean Studies, — said SPbU Senior Vice-Rector for Academic Affairs, Extracurricular Affairs, and methodological Support Ekaterina Babeluk. — It seems logical that SPbU is entitled to hold a test of proficiency in Korean TOPIK”. The senior students in Korean studies will be the first to pass the test, said Ekaterina Babeluk.

SPbU is actively engaged in expanding a range of its educational programmes with a focus on Korea, says Ekaterina Babeluk: you can study Korean, if you are a student in International Management. The programmes with a focus on Korea will include those in law, economics, tourism, and culture.

Consul General of Korea in St Petersburg Lee Jin Hyun appreciated that SPbU was entitled to hold TOPIK.

I hope that the University’s graduates will contribute to cementing the ties between Russia and Korea.

Consul General of Korea in St Petersburg Lee Jin Hyun

The University is gaining momentum in collaborating with its Korean partners, says SPbU Deputy Rector for International Affairs Sergei Andrushin. In particular SPbU Rector Nikolay Kropachev is the head of the Russian Coordination Committee of the Russia-Republic of Korea Dialogue Forum.

2017 12 08 podpisanie dogovora peredacha knig koreya min 16

TOPIK (Test of Proficiency in Korean) is a written test designed to measure the ability of non-native speakers for expression and comprehension in the Korean language. TOPIK certificates are accepted worldwide as proof of candidates’ Korean language proficiency.

The writing system of the Korean language, Hangul, is globally regarded as the most inventive and unique writing system, says the Consul General of Korea in St Petersburg Lee Jin Hyun. It made the Korean alphabet included in the UNOSCO’s Memory of the World Register. “Korean is an art like painting, music, and literature”, — said Lee Jin Hyun.

At the ceremony, SPbU Research Library officially accepted Korean books. The Director of the Library Marina Karpova expressed her gratitude to the Consulate General: “This gift continues the tradition established by the Consulate General of Korea. It is unique in a way that it has a number of books in Russian. I absolutely agree with Lee Jin Hyun that the language and literature can help us delve into the culture, history, and spirit of Korea”.

The book collection comprises an epic novel Land (T'oji) by Park Kyong-nii that tells a multi-generational story of Korean and reveals what the meaning of life is for Korea, says the Director of the Library. In 2018, SPbU is expected to unveil a monument to the prominent Korean writer.

2017 12 08 podpisanie dogovora peredacha knig koreya min 16