The Voluntary Agency Network of Korea (VANK) announced that it will take part in the 41st Annual Conference of the National Association for Korean Schools (NAKS), scheduled for July 20–22, 2023, at the Hyatt Regency San Francisco Airport. The conference, chaired by Choo Sung-hee, brings together Korean-language school teachers from across the United States. This year’s theme is “The Role and New Directions of Korean Schools in the 21st Century, with a Focus on the History of Korean Immigration.” Experts from various fields will serve as speakers.
At the event, VANK will hold lectures aimed at helping Korean-language school teachers in the United States serve as cultural ambassadors. With the rise of the global Hallyu wave, VANK hopes to connect international interest in BTS, Blackpink, and other cultural icons to Korea’s long history and rich traditions.
On Thursday, July 20, researcher Kim Bong-soo of VANK will deliver a lecture titled “New Hallyu Unfolding on Maps.” The session will highlight emerging forms of Hallyu linked to geography, place names, aviation, and maritime history. Kim will also review major achievements of Korean Americans, such as Virginia’s 2014 East Sea education bill and New York’s 2019 East Sea naming guidelines, while suggesting ways to correct inaccuracies in global maps and textbooks. VANK expects the session to prepare Korean teachers and students in the U.S. to challenge errors in American textbooks, world atlases, and encyclopedias, and to promote “map Hallyu” more broadly.
On Saturday, July 22, VANK head Park Ki-tae will give a special lecture titled “We Are the Hallyu Ambassadors.” Park stated, “The dreams of Korean immigrants in the U.S. who united for independence 100 years ago are now being realized. Today, Korea has become a center of global culture through the worldwide spread of Hallyu. It is time for Korean-language school teachers to play a new role—leveraging K-pop and Korean culture to share Korea’s 5,000 years of history and achievements with the world. Just as Korean immigrants once dedicated themselves to independence, today’s teachers can become Hallyu ambassadors who help build a cultural powerhouse Korea.”
For participating teachers, VANK will provide free educational materials including:
- 500 Korean-language keyboard sticker sheets
- 250 copies each of four different booklets introducing Korean music, history, and culture
- 100 world maps featuring the March 1 Independence Declaration in 12 languages
- Maps introducing Korean history
- 50 copies each of three different World Heritage maps
- Approximately 70 sets of Korean-themed postcards
- 10 Hanbok sticker sets
VANK noted that it signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with NAKS in August 2018 to promote accurate knowledge of Korea. Since then, the organization has regularly trained Korean-American teachers and youth as global Korean cultural ambassadors.
NAKS is a nonprofit organization representing over 9,000 teachers from 1,200 Korean schools across the U.S., serving approximately 30,000 students.