On 3 July 2026, the Department of Korean Studies at Károli Gáspár University of the Reformed Church in Hungary held its first major international conference, Coreana Karoliensia, organized in cooperation with the Department of History Education at Seoul National University.
The conference explored when and through what channels knowledge of European history first reached Korea, as well as how Korean history and culture became known in Europe. The distinguished guests of the conference were Professor Kim Tae-woong and Professor Park Pyeong-sik from Seoul National University. We were also honoured to welcome Professor Sergei Kurbanov, one of the world's leading scholars of contemporary Korean studies, as a special guest.
The conference, conducted in Korean, featured presentations by faculty members of the Department of Korean Studies. Dr. Mózes Csoma, Head of the Department, examined how symbols of classical Korean culture appeared in Hungary during the Korean War (1950–1953), highlighting the contributions of writer and journalist Tibor Méray and orientalist linguist Dr. Aladár Sövény. Dr. Nikolett Roque-Kőrösi, Assistant Professor, presented on the reception of Korean philosophy in Europe, while Dr. Judit Nagy, Vice Dean, gave an overview of Károli University's partnerships and academic cooperation with South Korea.
We would like to express our sincere thanks to the students of the BA programme in Korean Studies for their enthusiastic participation, and to our administrative colleagues for their invaluable support in making the event a success.
