Pyongyang University of Foreign Studies

Pyongyang University of Foreign Studies
Chosŏn'gŭl	평양외국어대학
Hancha	平壤外國語大學
Revised Romanization	Pyeongyang Oegugeo Daehak
McCune–Reischauer	Pyŏngyang Oegugŏ Taehak

Pyongyang University of Foreign Studies
평양외국어대학
Type	Public
Location	Pyongyang, Democratic People's Republic of Korea

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

In total, 22 languages are taught at PUFS. 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: Hungarian, Arabic, Malay, Khmer, Thai, Lao, Persian, Hindi, Urdu, German, Bulgarian, Czech, Polish, French, Italian, Portuguese, Romanian, and Spanish.^[5]

Notable students, faculty, and alumni

Charles Robert Jenkins, American defector and former English teacher; his daughters Brinda and Mika formerly attended as students^[6]
James Dresnok, son of American defector James Joseph Dresnok^[7]
Ri Yong-ho^[8]
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

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.
^ "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.
^ 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 / 39.06528; 125.76778

This article on a North Korean institution of tertiary education is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

[MJ-1] 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.

[KCNA-2] "Pyongyang Univ. of Foreign Studies". Korean Central News Agency. 24 November 2009. Archived from the original on 30 April 2011. Retrieved 30 December 2010.

[3] "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2022-12-18. Retrieved 2022-12-18.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)

[4] Bowers, Andy (2006-10-10). "North Korea's Confusing Brand of English". National Public Radio.

[5] "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)

[6] 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.

[60mins-7] Produced by Robert G. Anderson and Casey Morgan; reported by Bob Simon (2007-07-28). "An American in North Korea". 60 Minutes. CBS Television.

[8] North Korea Handbook. M.E. Sharpe. 2002. pp. 186–187. ISBN 978-0-7656-3523-5.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]