The importance of regional culture has been often stressed as
a major issue, but it sounds like a typhoon in a teacup. The field
of language and literature in the colleges of humanities in almost
all universities around the country are organized according to the
units of national identities, such as the departments of Korean
language and literature, English language and literature, and
Chinese language and literature. National literature and
language have been the main attention of education and research,
so there is no room left for regional culture. Regional culture
cannot be ignored in the field of geography or history, either. It
should be given careful consideration that the crisis of humanities
studies may be caused by an adherence to the outdated frame
of the units of such departments that have been formed since the
nineteenth century.
False representations of Korean culture have been made not
only in the academic field but also in the society. Oriental culture
has been regarded as inferior to Western culture, and regional culture spoken as having a lower taste than the culture of the
national capital region. Such a judgment or evaluation is
problematic in the sense that it is not a reasonable result ensured
by justifiable criticism or objective examination. A newly-coined
word called "gregionalization" is being used nowadays. Both
issues of globalization and regionalization are pursued together
in the twenty-first cultural age that passed over the agricultural
and industrial society. The time has come when the existing but
outdated social consciousness should be removed and a new
concern with regionalization or regional culture is about to grow.
Educational system reform, academic-industrial cooperation, and
a connection with on-the-spot education for the revitalization of
regional culture must be promoted on university campuses.
Subdivisional sciences can be dealt with successfully through the
study of education system reform, the communication of the colleges
with the society can be kept open by academic-industrial cooperation,
and knowledge acquired on the campus can be distributed in the
connection with the field education. Methodological necessity is
more urgent in the case of the special field of regional culture.
Cultural policy, cultural education, and cultural industry for the
revitalization of regional culture should be also extended. The
exterior phases of science need to be expanded in the present age
when the technological application and social use of sciences are
more highlighted than an attachment to pure sciences. Eventually,
regional culture can be revitalized not merely in academic studies
but in the support of political, educational, and industrial measures.