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대학생기자단/해외상생기자단

An interview with the Pyongyang based DAAD lecturer Armin Herdegen.

Living and working in North Korea.

An interview with the Pyongyang based DAAD lecturer Armin Herdegen.

  

Sven Horak, October 1st, 2009

Institute of East Asian Studies, IN-EAST (www.in-east.de)

 

Armin Herdegen, a specialist in German and Romance studies, has been teaching German at the Kim Il Sung University in Pyongyang for more than three years. He is the only German teacher at a North Korean University and one of the few foreigners who work and live in North Korea.

 

How to conceive working life in North Korea?

 

Actually, it is more normal than you would assume. On an average day I get picked up by my driver at 7.40 A.M. who drives me directly to the University where I work. The lectures or seminars start at 8.00 A.M. We finish the two lectures at 11.30 A.M. Afterwards the driver brings me home which is located at the diplomatic compound, where the international community in Pyongyang used to live. I have lunch around that area or in the city and go back to the university, if required, in the afternoon. Teaching is one part of my assignment as DAAD[1] lecturer. I teach in the first place conversation and colloquial language, in order to enable the students to talk to native German speakers. In addition to this, I teach German culture and society.

 

How many students do you teach?

 

At the Chair of German studies we have about fifty students in total.

 

Where does the motivation of the students come from to study a particular language? Are the students absolutely free to choose their preferred study subject?

 

Well, foreign languages as such certainly do not play a major role in North Korea. The general public is not exposed to foreign influences at all. Most of the students that study foreign languages at the university used to study at the foreign language school before. Many of them are very talented, or are children of diplomats who already lived abroad. The backgrounds are quite various. Once they finished the language school, they can take an entrance examination for the university, as it is usual in Asia.

 

For your German lessons, to which degree are you free to decide upon academic texts?

 

I have two restrictions. One is that I should not use anti-communist propaganda and the other is sexual allusion that has to be avoided. Otherwise, I can decide on my own and I do it quite transparently by informing my colleagues what materials I use. A new restriction was that I was not allowed to show photos of my last official journey to South Korea but that was likely due to the current tensed relationship between both countries. However, that was a new restriction.

 

Which language is the most popular?

 

English is surely dominant. In my university there are approximately 200 students enrolled in English studies, at the foreign language university there are approximately 200 students, that makes in total 400. Chinese and Russian is popular, too, but among the European languages, besides to English, German is the most popular I think.

 

What is the reason?

 

An answer is possibly that there was a significant exchange in history between the former German Democratic Republic and North Korea. Many North Koreans studied German because they cherish Germany’s achievements in the area of science. In the past especially engineers and physicists studied in the GDR. Almost all of my North Korean colleagues of a certain age at the chair studied in the GDR.

 

Apart from your job as a German teacher what other tasks are you in charge of?

 

I coordinate the scholarship programme by which approximately twenty postgraduate research students are given the opportunity to study in Germany per year.

 

Which subjects are most popular to study in Germany?

 

That’s quite various. It ranges from e.g. law and building materials science to optical studies. In general, natural sciences and engineering are preferred.  

 

What do you think about the relationship between Germany and North Korea? Is it special compared to other countries?

 

Yes, I would say it is special. Due to the relationship between the former GDR and North Korea and also the fact that Germany supports the area of science by scholarships and rather simple forms of university cooperation, is a sign of goodwill. Furthermore, there is a medical doctor’s programme with the Charité in Berlin, where many North Korean doctors went for training.

 

Mr. Herdegen, thank you very much for this interview.

 



[1] DAAD = Deutscher Akademischer Austausch Dienst, engl: German Academic Exchange Service