Representatives of Sungshin Women’s University from Seoul, South Korea visited the University of Rijeka Rectorate on Monday, May 9, 2022. The three-member delegation was led by SWU President, Prof. Bo Kyung Yang, Ph.D., who was accompanied by Ms. Mi Jung Kim, Assistant Manager, International Affairs and Services, SWU, and Ms. Bokyoung Kweon, Program Coordinator, Sungshin Institute of International Education.
The esteemed guests, for whom this is the first visit to Rijeka, were welcomed at the Rectorate by Prof. Snježana Prijić-Samaržija, Ph.D., UNIRI Rector, with associates: Prof. Senka Maćešić, Ph.D., Vice Rector for Digitalization and Development, Prof. Marko Perić, Ph.D., Vice Dean for International Cooperation at the Faculty of Tourism and Hospitality Management, Ana Tomaško Obradović, Head of the University Center for Studies, Students and Quality Assurance, and Nina Kolaković, Head of International Relations, Rector’s Office, while Teodora Lazović, one of the few Korean speakers in Croatia and with extensive translation experience, translated for the University of Rijeka (she translated for the Croatian Olympic Committee at the Winter Olympics in Korea).
Rector Prijić-Samaržija briefly presented the University of Rijeka and based on the discussion, the participants concluded that there are many similarities between the two universities (e.g. interest in smart cities, artificial intelligence, maritime affairs, pharmaceutical industry, green economy, sustainable development, etc.).
The participants also discussed the possibility of establishing a Croatian-Korean Business Innovation Center, a platform for students and staff to develop ideas and enable scientists to show their full potential and meet the growing demand for start-up companies and their services in Korea and Croatia.
The meeting was primarily held with the aim of preparing for the onsite evaluation of the UNIRI’s application for the establishment of the King Sejong Institute (KSI) at the University of Rijeka. KSI is a public institution under the auspices of the Korean Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism established with the aim of spreading the Korean language and culture abroad. Since the University of Rijeka has been cultivating friendly relations with the Republic of Korea for years, the establishment of this Institute at the University of Rijeka would further strengthen friendly working ties between the two countries, and interested students and the general public could learn Korean from native speakers.
The evaluators joined the SWU representatives on Tuesday, May 10. The official evaluation was conducted by a three-member evaluation team: Mr. Kwon Jae-oh, Deputy Director, Korean Language Policy Division, Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, Mr. Han Kwanghyun, Deputy Director, KSI Operations Team, King Sejong Institute Foundation, and Ms. Ahn Eunsoon, Assistant Manager, KSI Operations Team, King Sejong Institute Foundation.
During their stay in Rijeka, prestigious guests from the Republic of Korea also toured the UNIRI Campus, guided by Prof. Nevenka Ožanić, Ph.D., and they also visited the library at the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, where they were greeted by Prof. Luca Malatesti, Ph.D., Vice Dean for Science and International Cooperation, and Assoc. Prof. Dejan Durić, Ph.D., Head of the Department of Croatian Language and Literature.
