Siberian Federal University

The delegation included representatives of the Consulate General of the Republic of Korea in Irkutsk, Consul General Kim Se–woong, Consul Son Il Suk and translator Lee Jong Un.

The guests of the university: were greeted by rector Maksim Rumiantsev:

“One of the tasks of the university development is international collaborations, and you impersonate great opportunities for the development of educational cooperation. We are a large university and infrastructurally attractive for foreign students, we have many convenient dormitories, we are in an ecologically comfortable environment, and the campus is our competitive advantage. In addition to the cooperation in education (we did and we will continue promoting Korean culture and language), we can also strengthen each other in certain areas, in particular, in matters of ecology, carbon balance and climate change.”

Anna Mezit, head of the SibFU’s international department, told about the existing experience of working with Korean universities. To date, SibFU has 13 agreements with scientific and educational organizations in South Korea, within the framework of which the partners organize joint conferences and webinars, language training and international summer schools. The representatives of the Consulate General also appreciated the work of the Korean Centre of SibFU. It has been working since 2015 and holds language courses and educational events aimed at popularizing the culture of this eastern country.

“I know that Siberian Federal University was established by decree of the President of Russia and is one of the largest in the eastern part of the country. A wide range of scientific research is developed here. We are facing an important task — to find a Korean university suitable for cooperation with you. I am astonished that you already have mutually beneficial cooperation with 13 organizations — this is rather a good exception,” Consul General Kim Se-woong addressed the representatives of SibFU. “Last year, the Russian government officially recognized the Korean language as a subject of general education, so I hope that the demand for Korean culture will grow. We are ready to discuss the development of the Korean Center.”

During the visit, the parties decided to analyze the scientific activities of Korean universities in order to find joint interests for the development of international scientific collaborations.