Jakarta, May 27, 2024 – The Korean Language and Culture Program at UGM sent six students to participate in the Translation Competition organized by the Korean Cultural Center Indonesia. The six students were Aisyah Dian Safitri, Amarapallevi, Vanesa Olivia, Melisa Azzahra Tania, Nisa Khairuna Sabilla, and Pingkan Widiana Retno Utami.

The event began with an opening ceremony. Following the opening, the competition sessions commenced. The competition was divided into two sessions. The first session involved translating from Indonesian to Korean. After this session, there was a break. The second session then began, which involved translating from Korean to Indonesian. The event concluded with a closing ceremony.

The winners were announced a few weeks after the competition took place. Students from the Korean Language and Culture Program won honorable mentions in this competition. The two students were Vanesa Olivia and Amarapallevi.

This competition provided a platform for students to showcase their potential, specifically their translation skills from Indonesian to Korean and vice versa. This ability is one of the key competencies that the Korean Language and Culture Program at UGM aims for each of its students to possess. Of course, this achievement was made possible by the students’ courage and willingness, as well as the guidance provided by all the program’s lecturers.

Photo 1.1: Competition Participants

For the first time, the Korean Language and Culture Program at UGM conducted a field trip to visit Korean companies in Indonesia. This activity was organized to conclude the Comprehensive Korean Language 2 (Korean Business) course in the Spring Semester of 2023/2024. The event was held over two days, Tuesday-Wednesday, June 25-26, 2024. It was attended by 31 students and one accompanying lecturer, Mrs. Alfiana Amrin Rosyadi, S.S., M.A., who teaches the Comprehensive Korean Language 2 (Korean Business) course. The visit included several companies, namely PT Hyundai Motor Manufacturing Indonesia, Korea Creative Content Agency (KOCCA) Indonesia, and Bank Shinhan Indonesia.

The event began on Tuesday, June 25, 2024, with all participants and the lecturer gathering at Cikarang Station, Bekasi, to head to the first destination, PT Hyundai Motor Manufacturing Indonesia. The journey was made by bus and took approximately one hour as the destination was located in an industrial area quite far from the urban area.

The agenda at PT Hyundai Motor Manufacturing Indonesia started with an Alumni Talk, featuring an introduction to the company and a sharing session by the company and several alumni from the Korean Language and Culture Program at UGM who work there. This was followed by a group photo and the presentation of a souvenir from the Korean Language and Culture Program to PT Hyundai Motor Manufacturing Indonesia. The event continued with a factory tour guided by a company representative. During the tour, participants had the opportunity to see firsthand the process of manufacturing and assembling cars produced by PT Hyundai Motor Manufacturing Indonesia. The visit ended with the distribution of souvenirs from PT Hyundai Motor Manufacturing Indonesia to the participants.

On Wednesday, June 26, 2024, all participants traveled together to Lotte Mall Jakarta to visit the Korea Creative Content Agency (KOCCA) Indonesia. The event opened with a welcome speech from Mr. Kim Young Soo, the regional director of KOCCA Indonesia. This was followed by a company introduction and a sharing session by the company. Participants then had the opportunity to tour the KOCCA Indonesia office. Additionally, all participants had the chance to experience Korean culture, both popular and traditional, provided by Korea 360. Korea 360 is a KOCCA product aimed at introducing Korean culture to the world through creative content. The event concluded with a group photo and the presentation of a souvenir from the Korean Language and Culture Program to KOCCA Indonesia, as well as the distribution of souvenirs from KOCCA Indonesia.

The final destination of the visit was Bank Shinhan Indonesia. Here, participants listened to a presentation about Bank Shinhan Indonesia by its principal director, Mr. Koo Hyung Hoe. After Mr. Koo Hyung Hoe’s presentation, the event continued with a group photo and the presentation of a souvenir from the Korean Language and Culture Program at UGM to Bank Shinhan Indonesia. The company then provided further presentations about the company and Campus Hiring. This was followed by a Q&A and sharing session with alumni from the Korean Language and Culture Program at UGM who work at Bank Shinhan Indonesia. The visit concluded with the distribution of souvenirs from Bank Shinhan Indonesia.

This industrial visit was made possible through the cooperation between the program and its relevant partners. It serves as a means for students to gain knowledge about the career paths available to them, enabling them to apply this knowledge when they enter the workforce.

Photo 1.1: Korean Language and Culture Program Visited PT Hyundai Motor Manufacturing Indonesia

Photo 1.2: Korean Language and Culture Program Visited Shinhan Bank

Unlike usual, the Introduction to Korean History lecture on Friday, May 17, 2024, was held in-person. The course instructor, Dr. Rostineu, S.S., M.A., is a lecturer in the Korean Language and Culture Program at the University of Indonesia. This time, Dr. Rostineu came directly to the Korean Language and Culture Program at Universitas Gadjah Madaa to conduct the lecture in-person.

The in-person lecture was held in Room 707 of the Soegondo Building at the Faculty of Cultural Sciences (FIB) UGM, from 9:00 to 11:00 AM WIB. The lecture was attended by approximately one hundred students enrolled in the course. The lecture proceeded in a conducive and interactive manner.

This course focuses on the history of Korea from prehistoric times to the modern era. The material presented was very appropriate, given that the instructor is an expert in the field and has even published a book on Korean history. Therefore, this class was organized to enhance the knowledge of students in the Korean Language and Culture Program regarding Korean history.

At the end of the lecture, students presented flowers to Dr. Rostineu, S.S., M.A. as a memento. The lecture concluded with a group photo featuring Dr. Rostineu, Mr. Suray Agung Nugroho, S.S., M.A., Ph.D., and all the course participants.

SDGs 4: Quality Education | SDGs 4: Access to education | SDGs 4: Equal access | SDG 9: Industry innovation and infrastructure | SDG 9: Cooperation | SDGs 9: Financial services | SDG 10: Reduced inequality | SDGs 10: Education | SDGs 17: Partnerships for the Goals | SDGs 17: Global partnership

SDGs 4: Quality Education | SDGs 4: Cultural diversity | SDGs 4: Education for sustainability | SDGs 4: Education in developing | SDG 8: Decent work and economic growth | SDG 9: Industry innovation and infrastructure | SDGs 9: Affordable access | SDGs 9: Cooperation | SDG 10: Reduced inequality | SDGs 10: Culture | SDG 11: Sustainable cities and communities | SDGs 11: Community | SDG 16: Peace justice and strong institutions | SDGs 16: Accountable institutions | SDGs 17: Partnerships for the Goals | SDGs 17: Capacity building | SDGs 17: Foreign direct investments | SDGs 17: Global partnership

On Thursday, April 25th 2024, Ms. Alfiana, a lecturer from the Korean language and culture major, presented her paper titled “The social economic background of Indonesian students and their determining factor to study in Korea” in the Daegu University Center for Multiculturalism and Social Policy’s (DU CMSP) colloquium. The colloquium was attended by multidisciplinary educational professors and researchers who showed their interest in Korean studies in Indonesia by asking numerous questions despite the lack of research in both countries.

Currently, research on Korean studies is dominated by Korean language-related topics. But unfortunately, compared to the Southeast Asia region’s countries, such as Vietnam and Thailand, the number of research studies was left behind. Thus, DU CMSP welcomes the new path of research collaboration with the Faculty of Cultural Science (FIB) at UGM and offers a research collaboration agreement. The agreement was signed by DU CMSP’s chief, Prof. Yun Jae Woon, after a colloquium, and later signed by the Dean of the Faculty of Cultural Science, Prof. Dr. Setiadi, S. Sos, and M. Si in Indonesia. This collaborative research agreement expects to build strong cooperation between two institutions and boost the number of research publications in Indonesia and Korea, especially those related to Korean studies. Research and publications in the long term have a role to play in offering problem resolutions for some current issues in Korea, such as inequality among immigrants, which becomes the world’s sustainable development goal number 10, to reduce inequality. 

The lecture continued to the next day, April 26th 2024, at the 2024 DCU CMS ASKA DU CMSP Joint International Conference, which was held at Daegu Catholic University in Gyeongsan City, Korea. A representative of UGM, Ms. Alfiana, was given a chance to open the first term by presenting her research, “The culture shock and reverse culture shock among Indonesian exchange students: focusing on UGM students.” The joint international conference between the Center of Multicultural Society of Daegu Catholic University, the Association for the Studies of Korean Living Abroad, and the Center for Multiculturalism and Social Policy has opened up chances for Korean students and professors to understand the condition of Indonesian exchange students in Korea. Some students from UGM also listened to the lecturers by zoom. In the future, it is expected to hold a joint international conference in Indonesia.