UC Berkeley awards first Korean studies degrees

University of California, Berkeley will award its first degrees in Korean studies this month, marking a milestone 83 years after becoming the first U.S. university to offer Korean language instruction during Japan’s colonial rule of Korea.

The university’s Department of East Asian Languages and Cultures said three students pursuing double majors in Korean studies will receive bachelor’s degrees at commencement ceremonies on May 19. The Korean studies major was formally established last fall.

Ahn Jin-soo, a professor in the department, called the launch overdue but historically meaningful. “It took time for Berkeley to establish a Korean studies major, but it carries significant weight,” Ahn said. “This is the same university that first introduced Korean language instruction in 1943, when Korea was still under Japanese colonial rule.”

Korean language instruction at Berkeley dates back to 1943, when independence activist Choi Bong-yoon established Korean language classes in what was then the Department of Oriental Languages, now the Department of East Asian Languages and Cultures.

To support instruction, Choi authored “Elementary Korean Textbook,” regarded as the first Korean-language college textbook published in the United States. With no Korean type available at the time, the text was handwritten by his wife, Choi Yong-ja.

Choi later joined the United Korean Committee in America, formed in Honolulu in 1941 to unify Korean diaspora groups in support of independence. He was posthumously awarded the Order of Merit for National Foundation in 1995.

What began with just 18 students in 1943 has since grown into a popular program, now drawing roughly 400 to 500 students a year amid the global rise of Korean popular culture.

The program currently has seven instructors and hosts an annual Korean Day event on campus. Kim So-young, who also goes by Alice Kim, said the program offers unusually deep engagement with Korean history and culture. “I take pride in Berkeley’s Korean studies curriculum because it allows us to work directly with sources ranging from ancient writing systems like hyangchal to classical literature and modern history,” she said.

Another graduate, Joanne Moon, said the program helped her reconnect with her identity. “Studying Yun Dong-ju’s poetry and learning about colonial rule, the Korean War and national division helped me rediscover my identity as a Korean and think more seriously about my future,” she said.

The university does not yet offer a graduate program in Korean studies. Ahn said efforts are underway to establish one following the launch of the undergraduate major.


장은지 jej@donga.com