Though it is unfamiliar to most undergraduate students, RIKS is a comprehensive research hub where more than 150 distinguished expert researchers and assistants work. Research projects led by RIKS embrace a wide range of disciplines such as literature, linguistics, history, philosophy, and geography. Also, there is substantial progress in interdisciplinary research, which integrates different fields into the theme of Korean studies.

 

RIKS started as the KU Classics Translation Committee in 1957. In 1963, it was reorganized as the Research Center of Korean Studies. “Since the 1970s, the center has conducted some sizable projects, which led to the rapid growth,” says Professor Lee Hyungdae (Korean Language and Literature), the vice president of RIKS. Korean Cultural History Encyclopedia was the first comprehensive research series on traditional Korean culture which classified facts into categories, while Korean Folk Culture Encyclopedia formed the basis for research on folk culture.

 

Originally established as the classics translation committee, RIKS translated some literary masterpieces written in Chinese characters into Korean. However, recently, due to the rise of public research centers, it is focusing on translating some unknown but invaluable pieces such as Jeong Gyeong-dal’s Jeamjip, a record about Japanese invasion of Korea in 1592 by admiral Yi Sun Sin’s adjutant major. At the same time, the institute is also translating Korean texts into English. “While we initiated modernization back in the 1960s, we are now leading the globalization of Korean literature and philosophy,” Lee says.

 

Renowned works of Korean scholars and bureaucrats such as The Books of Corrections: Reflections on the National Crisis during the Japanese Invasion of Korea by Ryu Seongryong and Admonitions on Governing the People: Manual for All Administrators by Jung Yakyong were translated into English. As a result, scholars and readers around the world can also read classics Koreans adore. “Now, Korean classics can be adequately evaluated along with other world classics,” Lee proudly says.

 

As a center for humanities research, the institute’s research does not stop at traditional culture. The corpus materials are linguistic big data obtained by analyzing about 600 million words which appear in books and newspaper articles. They offer statistical information about frequently used keywords and linguistic forms. These words are used to understand social phenomena and contemporary Korean language. “We also can figure out who the writers of unidentified literary works are," Lee emphasizes the versatility of the data. The corpus materials are also utilized in the compilation of KU Korean Dictionary, which contains most pragmatic and up-to-date linguistic information.

 

Digital humanities including the corpus research are the strategic competitive edge of RIKS compared to other similar public and private research institutes. Digitalized cultural atlas which gives maps about culture and history is also one of them. Through the atlas, users can attempt both diachronic and synchronic studies of Korean culture. They can obtain where and when information of historical or cultural facts. “For example, the distribution of Buddhist temples during Joseon dynasty can be found in the atlas,” Lee explains.

 

Another major project known to the public is the compilation of dictionaries. In particular, the institute’s Chinese-Korean dictionary is a well-known source that is provided through the number one portal in Korea, Naver. It was first published in 1989, even before Korea established diplomatic ties with China. It was a forward-looking attempt that responded to the rising demand of society.

 

Preserving its dazzling achievements, RIKS is aiming for another takeoff. Most of all, it will reinforce its capacity in the digital humanities area. “We are planning to offer standardized text which will facilitate research and education on Korean literature,” says Lee, pointing out the fact that fallacies can be the barriers to research and education.

 

Furthermore, rather than just offering academic information to the public, the institute is preparing a blueprint to develop into a center for citizenship education. Beginning in Seongbuk-gu, RIKS has initiated a citizen camp which educates knowledge and morals to teenagers, helping them grow as citizens. During the summer vacation, it also held a summer camp in the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) under the theme of “a country we would like to live in.”

 

Despite the institute’s glorious achievements and far-reaching plans, it is true that undergraduate students often feel excluded from research institutes. Nevertheless, undergraduate students can also attend many sizable research projects as assistants at RIKS. Moreover, for citizenship education, the institute needs a lot of undergraduate students as mentors for teenagers. “RIKS has an open perspective toward the participation of undergraduate students,” Lee stresses, ending the interview. Undergraduates might as well take the initiative to find out more.