I previously lived in Kyoto, and after majoring in Japanese and Korean language education at a university in Korea, I built a career as a teacher and translator of Japanese literature. In the future, I hope to expand the scope of my work to include interpreting, and to do that I needed to improve my ability to converse in Japanese, which is why I decided to study abroad in Japan.
Rikkyo University is well known in Korea as the institution attended by Yoon Dongju, the country’s most beloved poet. In addition to courses in languages, interpreting, translation, and Japanese language education, which are my areas of expertise, the CIC curriculum also offers courses in fields such as global studies and communications studies, which made it very appealing.

At Korean universities, many courses are linked directly to employment, but CIC offers a broad range of subjects such as humanities and sociology that are intended to enrich a liberal arts education, which I found admirable.
One course that left a particularly deep impression was “Ethnicity and Nationalism”. This course examined common assumptions and discourse on issues such as what defines Japan and what it means to be Japanese, using concepts and examples such as nation, nationalism, race, and ethnicity in a critical manner. This allowed me to reconsider my own ethnic identity in addition to the issues of human rights and coexistence.

I continued my translation work while studying at CIC and worked on translating a screenplay by the director Hirokazu Kore-eda. I have also been involved in extracurricular activities such as teaching the Korean language at a high school in Tokyo.
I may continue working as a Japanese teacher and translator in Korea. Alternatively, I may teach Korean in Japan or work as an interpreter. There are many different paths open to me, and I am still thinking about my options.
While using the Rikkyo University Library, it occurred to me that it might be interesting to discover some of the hidden gems of Japanese literature and introduce them to Korea. This became my new goal for the remainder of my study abroad. I am compiling a list of books, consisting mainly of those recommended by my professors or used as references in my classes. However, I also come upon treasures while exploring the library. There is one in particular that I am keen to translate first, and I plan to submit a proposal to a Korean publisher. To create translations with real depth, I must first learn more about Japanese society, culture, and history, which means that for me, learning is something that continues every day.