Meeting with representatives from KoSASA (South Korea)

The first item on the agenda was the plan to organize the 9th International Conference on Korean Studies, scheduled for September 2020 at the University of Social Sciences and Humanities. The conference aims to strengthen cooperation among core member institutions of KoSASA through exchange and in-depth exploration of new directions to promote Korean studies in Southeast Asia in the coming years. Presentations will focus on important and pressing issues concerning the current Korean economy, society, and culture from a Southeast Asian perspective.

Following this, Professor Kwon Geong Ho, on behalf of the University of New South Wales, extended an invitation to faculty and staff to participate in a special regional workshop organized by the Korea Research Institute, University of New South Wales, in December 2019. The workshop's theme is "State Capacity for National Development in ASEAN Transition Economies and the Role of Korea." The goal is to identify the challenges faced by ASEAN transition economies, compare them with the situation in Korea, and find lessons learned. The workshop is expected to contribute to strengthening cooperation between Korea and ASEAN countries.

On behalf of the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Professor Pham Quang Minh highly appreciated the goodwill from Professor Kwon Geong Ho and KoSASA. First of all, as the 9th Chairman of KoSASA, the Rector pledged to make every effort to ensure the success of the Association's 9th conference. At the same time, the Rector will send out invitations for papers to lecturers and researchers of the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Vietnam National University, Hanoi who are interested in the two aforementioned conferences.

KoSASA is an academic organization/forum established in 2004 at the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Vietnam National University Ho Chi Minh City, in collaboration with the University of New South Wales, Australia, and the Korea Foundation. KoSASA's mission is to support and promote research and teaching of Korean studies and the application of Korean studies knowledge in Southeast Asian countries. KoSASA holds a conference every two years to summarize and evaluate the activities of its partner universities over the past two years, and to implement or propose new collaborative projects. In Vietnam, the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Vietnam National University Ho Chi Minh City, and the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Vietnam National University Hanoi, are two active partners of KoSASA, having hosted the founding conference in 2005 in Ho Chi Minh City and the regular conference in 2012 in Hanoi.