Center for Korean Studies celebrates 50th anniversary

The University of Hawaii at Manoa’s Center for Korean Studies is celebrating its 50th anniversary today with a photo exhibit, a bento lunch, a ceremony and a workshop on the stories of Korean immigrants in Hawaii.

“The center is kind of a pioneer in terms of looking for the identity of Koreans and also in thinking about the direction that Korean studies should go in the future,” said Tae-Ung Baik, director of the Center for Korean Studies.

Established in 1972, the center is the largest and oldest Korean center in the U.S. and Canada, with more than 40 UH affiliate members working in various fields such as language, history, literature, economics, anthropology, media broadcasting, music, architecture and law, according to a UH news release. The center also hosts an array of exhibitions, performances, workshops and lectures.

Korean studies was initially introduced at UH during World War II through language and Korean history classes, Baik said. Back then, UH was at the forefront of Korean studies, offering its first Korean language course in 1957.

The Korean War drew more demand for Korean studies and the center gradually began recruiting more faculty. Eventually UH decided to establish the center, with its $1.5 million construction cost funded by the university, the Republic of Korea and the local Korean American community.

“The establishment was the first Center for Korean Studies throughout the world, outside of Korea at the time,” Baik said.

While the center was established in 1972, its buildings weren’t completed until 1980, with the detailed and colorful architecture modeled after parts of the Kyongbok Palace in Seoul.

In order to help the structures withstand Hawaii’s year-round warmth and humidity, the architects opted to construct the pillars from concrete rather than from traditional wooden materials, Baik said. However, the roof tiles and other components were created in Korea and shipped to Oahu.

Since its creation, the center has accumulated over 40 collections on Korean immigration history along with other rare materials that continue to draw scholars to UH, Baik said.

Its recent research on the Korean independence movement brought the president of Korea to the center in 2021 to present descendants of notable women patriots with the national merit award.

Today’s 50th anniversary events, free and open to the public, include a reception from noon to 4 p.m. Bento lunches will be provided on a first-come, first-serve basis. RSVPs are encouraged at coord@hawaii.edu. A photo exhibition on Korean immigrants’ education in Hawaii will be open from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily through Wednesday.

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Linsey Dower covers ethnic and cultural affairs and is a corps member of Report for America, a national serv­ice organization that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on under­covered issues and communities.