In recent years, the academic landscape of South Korea has dramatically changed, mirroring the broader currents of globalization. Universities across the nation, with Korea University (KU) at the forefront, have actively sought and welcomed a significant influx of international professors to elevate their global reputation and infuse their curriculum with diverse perspectives. But with this fusion of international experts comes a pressing question: "Is being an international professor in South Korea challenging?" In this issue, *The Granite Tower* (GT) delves into their experiences, shedding light on the hurdles and triumphs that come with teaching in a land far from home.

Question: Is Being an International Professor in South Korea Challenging?

Professor Pey-Yan Liou (Department of Education)

I joined Korea University in March 2020, the beginning of COVID-19. First of all, I don’t speak Korean, so it is one of the biggest challenges for me here. As you may already know, our portal system has different versions, but the functions are not equivalent, so I sometimes miss out information because of language barrier. However, I believe that the school has been trying their best to optimize the system and my colleagues in my department have been very supportive, otherwise, my life could have been more difficult.

Professor Asia Khamzina (Department of Environmental Science and Ecological Engineering)

I joined Korea University as associate professor in fall semester 2015, after 15 years in University of Bonn in Germany. The increasing challenge is foremost a limited access to research networks in Korea as well as few funding opportunities and even information about programs here which support international research. Part of this information vacuum is because English is rarely used to communicate on the matters above while international faculty members are expected to acquire Korean language proficiency. The greatest challenge to be facing is however a general lack of diversity and inclusivity. I am hopeful that in addition to the current expectation from foreign faculty members to adapt to local academic environment and adopt its values will come also an expectation to bring new perspectives and research ideas.

Professor Michael Blackwood (Foreign Language Institution)

I first came to Korea University back in the late 1990s, so you can imagine that life, even academic life, was a bit different back then. One challenge I faced when I first started at Korea University was understanding the cultural expectations around communication and hierarchy within the university. There were also some language barriers that I had to overcome, particularly when it came to written communication. Thankfully, our position within the university does not involve any mandatory research, though Korean universities, like others around the world, are grappling with issues around job security, research funding, and overall workload. Additionally, I think it's important for professors to have support networks of colleagues and mentors who can provide guidance and support when trying to navigate these challenges.

Professor Christian Wallraven (Department of Artificial Intelligence/ Brain & Cognitive Engineering)

There are some specific differences that I have had to adjust to, firstly the students' typical learning environment in Korea: usually, learners expect input on the exact type of task / question / approach they are expected to perform - this, however, does not work so well in basic sciences, where we often do not even know what questions we should ask. Getting students into this different mind-set has been a challenge. This meant sitting down with my students and reading and discussing a lot of literature, coming up with new projects together, and even explaining that we have to accept that failure can be an option in science. Secondly, in Germany where I come from, performance evaluation of professors is done only very lightly, whereas here in Korea this is taken very seriously.