Korean studies is an academic discipline, focusing on the study of Korea. Areas commonly included under this rubric include Korean history, Korean literature, Korean art, Korean music, Korean language, Korean sociology, Korean political science, Korean economics, Korean folklore, and Korean ethnomusicology. It may be compared to other area studies disciplines, such as American studies and Canadian Studies. Korean studies is sometimes included within a broader regional area of focus including: "East Asian studies", "Far East Studies", "Oriental Studies", or "Asian studies."
The term first began to be used in the 1940s, but did not attain widespread currency until South Korea rose to economic prominence in the 1970s. In 1991, the South Korean government established the Korea Foundation to promote Korean studies around the world.[1]
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The term Koreanologists indicates (typically foreign) academic scholars of Korean language and culture. Koreanists usually indicates a speaker or translator of Korean. Notable Koreanologists include James Scarth Gale, William E. Skillend and Richard Rutt. A subcategory of Koreanologists is Historians of Korea, including Bruce Cumings, James Palais, Roger Tennant and others.
^ "Introduction". Korean Foundation website. http://www.kf.or.kr:8080/eng/intro/presentCondition.jsp. Retrieved 2006-01-12.