In the 1990s, as real debate about the problem of reunification came finally to be realized in South Korean society, so voices in support of the need for expert research and training began to be heard. As a result, a number of domestic South Korean universities launched their own North Korean Studies departments.
The process began in 1994 with Dongguk University, which was rapidly followed over the course of four years by a five further institutions; Myungji University, Gwandong University, Korea University, Chosun University and Sunmoon University.
However, things have taken a turn for the worse since then; two of the six have since closed their departmental doors; Chosun University just one year after it opened, and Gwandong University in 2006.
Elsewhere, the story has only been slightly better. Sunmoon University reorganized and renamed its department in 2008, calling it the Department of Northeast Asian Studies instead, and Myungji University merged its department with the Department of Politics and Diplomacy in 2010. Only two, the prestigious Korea University and second-tier Dongguk University, still run departments explicitly named North Korean Studies.
Furthermore, there are substantial doubts at Dongguk University about the future of its Department of North Korean Studies. Back in 2007 the number of places on the program was halved to twenty and, including foreigners, just 21 students joined in 2011. Should this number fall below 15, the university says it is likely that the department would have to close.
Meanwhile, 39 students came to study North Korean Studies at Korea University this year, which is actually an increase over last year, when roughly 30 did the same. However, that is an upward tick in what is clearly a largely downward trend.
What, then, is the reason why North Korean Studies in South Korea is in such a state of crisis? Most professors and other experts point to the lack of job opportunities for North Korean Studies graduates as one of the key problems.
Professor Yoo Ho Yeol of Korea University explained to The Daily NK, “There is no way for North Korean Studies majors to avoid facing limited opportunities after graduating,” and added, “If there were healthy North Korean Studies departments at around ten universities in the capital then a consensus could be reached, but it is hard to foresee stability based on the scale of the departments in the remaining universities.”
Oh Gyeong Sob, who earned his doctorate at Korea University and is now a researcher with the Sejong Insititute, agreed, saying, “The competition rate for this major fell because of limited jobs for North Korean Studies graduates. From the schools’ point of view, it is becoming inevitable for them to present the idea of closing the departments.”
There is also now the problem of providing adequate teaching at all given the shrinking nature of the North Korean Studies field.
Professor Yoo went on, “On the one hand, there is the point that North Korean Studies covers too much theory. In the department, it would be good to study North Korea from the fundamental academic angles of politics, economics, sociology etc, but within the limitations it is hard to deal with everything. Increasingly, there is also the problem of running a department which cannot obtain adequate teaching staff to conduct the North Korean Studies program.”
Myungji University’s academic management decided to merge its own Department of North Korean Studies with the Department of Politics and Diplomacy after applications fell. Now it is facing the emerging problem of maintaining courses for existing students, too.
One graduating student from the university explained, “At first I thought there would be synergy since Politics and Diplomacy is cut from a bigger version of the same cloth as North Korean Studies. However, after merging, bit by bit the North Korean Studies curriculum began to shrink, for example with courses I had wanted to study not opening.”
Lee Ji Su, a professor at Myungji University said, “Even within the shape of the Department of Politics and Diplomacy, we are placing the stress on support to achieve good research and teaching results.”
Regardless, of the 17 graduating students from Myungji University this year, just three have entered a North Korean Studies-related field, and two of those actually went on to post-graduate courses. The overall employment rate is just 10%.
It seems, therefore, that without a substantial change in the landscape, the future for North Korean Studies in South Korea will continue to be bleak.
