On Monday, 07 September 2026, the UP Center for International Studies took a significant step toward strengthening Korea Studies at the University of the Philippines Diliman as its faculty and faculty affiliates defended the proposal to institute a Minor in Korea Studies in the Social Science and Law Cluster level.
The proposed program seeks to provide UP students with a structured academic pathway in pursuing further studies on Korea and to encourage sustained interdisciplinary engagement with the country’s language, history, culture, society, politics, and economy. The program is anchored on the strong Korean language offerings of the UP Department of Linguistics and complemented by a range of interdisciplinary Korea-related courses offered across UP Diliman.
This proposal is the culmination of more than seven years of course development, curriculum planning, and academic collaboration led by UPCIS faculty and East and Southeast Asian Studies Coordinator Dr.. Amparo Adelina C. Umali, III and UPCIS faculty and European Studies Coordinator and curriculum specialist Asst. Prof. Raymond A. Macapagal. Their efforts were supported by three UPCIS directors over the course of the program’s development: formerly Dr. Cynthia Neri Zayas and Asst. Prof. Sarah Raymundo and current Director Dr. Ramon G. Guillermo.
The conceptualization and development of the Minor in Korea Studies also benefited from the invaluable support and expertise of the UP Korea Research Center (UP KRC) directors: former Asian Center Dean Dr. Eduardo T. Gonzales, UPCIS faculty affiliate and UP Department of Linguistics faculty Dr. Aldrin Lee, and current UP KRC Director Dr. Kyung Min Bae, who is likewise a UPCIS faculty affiliate.
The initiative further reflects the collaborative and interdisciplinary character of Korea Studies at UP Diliman. UPCIS worked with Korea specialist Dr. Michelle Palumbarit of the UP Asian Center; and faculty affiliates who are Korea-Spcialists from various academic units of the University, including: Asst. Prof. Jay-Ar Igno of the Department of Linguistics; Dr. Erik Paolo Capistrano, current Dean of the Virata School of Business; Dr. Patrick Campos of the UP Film Institute; Dr. Jean S. Encinas-Franco of the Department of Political Science; Ma. Portia Placino and Harveen Ang, lecturers at UP CIS.
Through these sustained efforts and collaborations, UPCIS seeks to establish a stronger academic foundation for Korea Studies at UP Diliman and to provide students with greater opportunities to develop an interdisciplinary understanding of Korea within the broader context of East Asian and global studies.