The Pyongyang University of Foreign Studies is a five-year university in Pyongyang, North Korea, specializing in language education.
History
The university was split off from Kim Il-sung University in 1964.[1] North Korea's state-run Korean Central News Agency gives its foundation date as 15 November 1949.[2][3] It does not have as high a reputation as those of Kim Il-sung University's foreign languages division, which trains members of the political elite; most graduates go on to become working-level diplomats or work in the intelligence service.[4]
Structure
The university has separate colleges for students of English, Russian, Chinese, and Japanese; the so-called "Ethnic Languages College" offers instruction in a further 18 languages, including French, Spanish, Arabic, Thai, Urdu, Khmer, and, as of July 2007, Polish and Italian.[5]
In total, 22 languages are taught at PUFS: Chinese, Russian, Japanese, Hungarian, Arabic, Malay, Khmer, Thai, Lao, Persian, Hindi, Urdu, English, German, Bulgarian, Czech, Polish, French, Italian, Portuguese, Romanian, and Spanish.[6]
Notable students, faculty, and alumni
- Charles Robert Jenkins, American defector and former English teacher; his daughters Brinda and Mika formerly attended as students[7]
- James Dresnok, son of American defector James Joseph Dresnok[8]
- Ri Yong-ho[9]
- Thae Yong-ho, defector from North Korea, formerly North Korea's deputy ambassador to the United Kingdom; current member of the National Assembly in South Korea
See also
References
- ^ Yi, Jae-seung (23 July 2007). 과학기술중시정책 영향... 외국어 배우기 열풍, 2개 국어 회화 필수 [Impact of science and technology-oriented policy…] (in Korean). Minjog21. Archived from the original on 8 February 2012. Retrieved 20 July 2007.
- ^ "Pyongyang Univ. of Foreign Studies". Korean Central News Agency. 24 November 2009. Archived from the original on 30 April 2011. Retrieved 30 December 2010.
- ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2022-12-18. Retrieved 2022-12-18.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ Bowers, Andy (2006-10-10). "North Korea's Confusing Brand of English". National Public Radio.
- ^ 北평양외대, 폴란드.이태리어科 신설 [Pyongyang Foreign Languages University establishes Polish, Italian courses] (in Korean). JoongAng Ilbo. 2007-07-05. Archived from the original on 2011-07-13. Retrieved 2007-07-20.
- ^ "Archived copy". Minjong21 (in Korean). Archived from the original on 2011-07-14. Retrieved 2014-12-04.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ Curtin, J. Sean (2004-06-05). "The strange saga of Charles Robert Jenkins". Asia Times Online. Archived from the original on 2004-06-14. Retrieved 2007-07-20.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link) - ^ Produced by Robert G. Anderson and Casey Morgan; reported by Bob Simon (2007-07-28). "An American in North Korea". 60 Minutes. CBS Television.
- ^ North Korea Handbook. M.E. Sharpe. 2002. pp. 186–187. ISBN 978-0-7656-3523-5.
- Danahar, Paul. "Meeting North Korea's 'Generation Next'" BBC News. BBC, 13 Feb. 2010. Web. 12 Apr. 2014.
External links
- Meeting North Korea's 'Generation next': a UK Wired News interview with a British Council ESL teacher at the Pyongyang University of Foreign Studies
- Class Report from North Korea Archived 2012-03-11 at the Wayback Machine, another interview with a different British Council ESL teacher at the Pyongyang University of Foreign Studies
39°3′55″N 125°46′4″E / 39.06528°N 125.76778°E
