Exchange Programs

Since 1983, UCLA has signed academic exchange agreements with over ten prestigious Korean institutions of education: Seoul National University, Sungkyunkwan University, Pusan National University, Kyungbuk National University, Yonsei University, Korea University, Dongguk University, Won-Kwang University, Ewha Womans University, Yeungnam University, and the Academy of Korean Studies. The University of California Education Abroad Program also maintains an office in Korea at Yonsei University and offers students an opportunity for intensive study abroad.

In addition to facilitating exchanges of scholars and research publications, these agreements are also designed to promote and encourage joint research projects between UCLA and Korean institutions. Several diverse interdisciplinary research projects have been completed in conjunction with Korean universities, which all involved dynamic scholarly collaborations between UCLA faculty and students and their Korean colleagues. These included studies of the migration of highly trained professionals, of the world garment trade, and on the comparative status of women in Korea and the United States, as well as several studies of various aspects of Buddhist thought and the technicalities of translating Buddhist texts. Another long-term Korean Studies project on campus has been the Telelink Project, which allowed instantaneous exchange between scholars and students at UCLA and Seoul National University over telephone lines, using a computer "blackboard," video shots of participants, and real-time voice communication. Many lectures, classes, and seminars were conducted jointly by UCLA and Seoul National University using this apparatus. This "exciting experiment in international distance education," as David Gardner, former president of the University of California, called it, allowed UCLA scholars and students in disciplines ranging from linguistics to electrical engineering to interact with their Korean counterparts on an ongoing basis.