| 1971 | Accreditation of the Department of Chinese Literature by the Ministry of Education |
|---|---|
| 1972 | Establishment of the Department; commencement of freshman recruitment |
| 1976 | Establishment of accredited Chinese Language and Literature Course within graduate school; opening of the Master’s program |
| 1977 | First performance of the play in Chinese language |
| 1980 | Opening of the Ph.D. program |
| 1984 | The Department of Chinese Literature renamed the Department of Chinese Language and Literature |
| 1985 | Establishment of the Korea University College of Liberal Arts Department of Chinese Language and Literature Alumni Association |
| 1988 | Official establishment of Chinese Literary Society; Publication of the first issue of the Journal of Chinese Language and Literature |
| 1992 | Commemorative event and academic conference to celebrate 20th Foundation Anniversary of the Department |
| 1999 | Affiliated with the Division of Korean and Asian Languages and Literature, College of Liberal Arts due to adoption of new academic division system |
| 2000 | Selected as a project group for 1st stage BK21 project (1999-2002); affiliated with the consolidated College of Liberal Arts |
| 2002 | Commemorative event to celebrate 30th Foundation Anniversary of the Department |
| 2004 | Affiliated with the Division of International Languages and Literature |
| 2006 | Selected as a project group for 2nd stage BK21 project (2005-2012) |
| 2007 | Reorganization of the graduate school, changing the Department’s title from the Department of Chinese Language and Literature to the Department of Chinese & Japanese Language and Literature |
| 2012 | Commemorative event and academic conference to celebrate 40th Foundation Anniversary of the Department |
| 2013 | Nation’s No.1 Department of Chinese Literature in the JoongAng Daily University Rankings Selected as a project group for 3rd stage BK21 project (2013-) |
| 2014 | Nation’s No.1 Department of Chinese Literature in the JoongAng Daily University Rankings |
History
The 30-year history of The Department of Chinese Language and Literature in Korea University began when it was accredited by The Ministry of Education in 1971, and when its first freshmen were accepted in the following year. The founding was the result of the efforts of many intellectual pioneers who were ahead of their time in terms of their interest in Chinese issues. Among them was Mr. Kim Jun-Yeop, a former officer of the Liberation Army during the Japanese colonial era and a devoted independence fighter who was active in northern China and Shanghai.
After its establishment, the Department was affiliated with the College of Liberal Arts while retaining its autonomy, and in 1984, the Department of Chinese Linguistics and Literature was renamed the Department of Chinese Language and Literature. As a result of the adoption of the new academic division system in 1999, the Department was affiliated with the Division of Korean and Asian Languages and Literature, and then with the College of Liberal Arts in 2002, the Division of International Languages and Literature in 2004 and finally with the consolidated division in the College of Liberal Arts.
The Department of Chinese Language and Literature, which started out as an undergraduate department in 1972, opened its Master’s program in 1976 and its Ph.D. program in 1980. The first Doctor of Literature was produced in 1989, and since then, the Department has prospered, continuously fostering numerous promising scholars and experts on China. From the Department’s founding in 1972 until 1976, 35 freshmen were accepted annually, but from 1977 to 1980, none were accepted due to the implementation of the ‘Experimental University’ policy. In accordance with this initiative, only three students in 1978, 12 in 1979, 14 in 1980, eight in 1981, and another eight in 1982 entered The Department of Chinese Language and Literature in their sophomore year.
The graduation quota was established in 1981 and as a result 65 freshmen were recruited annually from 1982 to 1985. 55 freshmen were recruited annually from 1986 to 1994, but the number slightly decreased to 50 per year between 1995 and 1998. The academic division system, which was implemented from 1999 to 2013, was converted into the academic department system, and since then, approximately 60 freshmen have entered every year. At present, over 300 undergraduate students are attending.