Students from the Faculty of Foreign Studies Hachioji CampusFaculty of Languages and Cultures South Korea as part of the JENESYS2024 university student visit group.

On March 9 (Sun) ~ 15 (Sat), 2025, Ms. Sara Inoue (Faculty of Languages and Cultures 1st year), a student of Teikyo University, was selected as a member of the JENESYS2024 University Student Delegation to Korea and visited the Republic of Korea (hereinafter referred to as South Korea) with 89 university students who are interested in South Korea from all over the Japan. Tomohiro Hara, Professor of the same faculty, also participated as a delegation leader.
In South Korea, in addition to the student exchange events held at Dongguk University and Pusan National University, the students learned about the Korean War at the War Memorial Hall and witnessed the reality of the North-South division at the Unification Observatory. In addition, they learned about the latest technology at Hyundai Motors Studio Goyang and South Korea traditional culture at Jeonju Hanok Maul.

The JENESYS2024 University Student Visit to Korea is a program run by the Japan-Korea Cultural Foundation and the National Institute of International Education of the Republic of South Korea. It dispatches university students selected from across Japan to South Korea to interact with students of the same generation through various site visits, university visits, and attending lectures. The program's main objective is to contribute to promoting mutual understanding and strengthening the foundation for enhancing trust between Japan and Korea in the future by actively promoting the appeal of Japan through a deeper understanding of Korean society and culture through these activities.

Sara Inoue (1st year, Faculty of Languages and Cultures)

Through this program, I feel that I was able to deepen my learning by learning about South Korea history and culture and interacting with university students from all over the country, which inspired me in many ways. What particularly impressed me was the War Memorial of Korea and the Odusan Unification Observatory, which we visited on the third day. In Korean Course, there were lectures on South Korea history, so I thought I had a good understanding of the Korean War, but listening to the guide's explanations, I learned a lot of things for the first time, and it was an opportunity to increase my interest.
After visiting the War Memorial of Korea, we visited the Odusan Unification Observatory. From the observatory, we could see the lives of North Korean people through a telescope, and we saw that many families are still separated even though the ceasefire continues. While listening to the explanation in the museum, I was shocked to learn that the closest distance between South Korea and North Korea is only 460 meters. At the same time, I felt the tension that North Korea could attack at any time. There were multiple layers of barbed wire on the road near the ceasefire line, and we could also see what looked like a guardhouse. Seeing this view, I personally felt that the Korean War is only in a "ceasefire" state, has not ended, and that continuing peace is not something to be taken for granted. I was also able to feel the kindness and warmth of South Korea people through my interactions. I was very happy to see them kindly lending a hand when I was in trouble, and trying to communicate somehow even when they couldn't communicate with me. Through this experience, I learned the importance of not giving up and trying to communicate even when words don't make sense. I hope that we can create a society where people from various countries, not just South Korea, can interact and get to know each other, thereby building better relationships.

For more information about Faculty of Languages and Cultures click here
For more information about Professor Tomohiro Hara, click here
For more information about the JENESYS2024 university student delegation, click here

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