ABOUT CBDS KPRC
The Center for Business and Diplomatic Studies (CBDS) at BINUS University is dedicated to advancing interdisciplinary research at the intersection of business, diplomacy, and international relations under the Department of International Relations. Within CBDS, the Korean Peninsula Research Cluster(KPRC) serves as a specialized hub for Korea-related studies, with a mission to deepen academic discussions on the Korean Peninsula across the fields of literature, culture, politics, and international relations. One of its flagship initiatives, the BINUS IR Student Korean Roundtable, provides a consistent platform for students to engage with Korea-related affairs through weekly activities such as discussions, film screenings, language cafés, guest lectures, and cultural exchange programs.
OUR TEAM
Mochammad Alvin Dwiana Qobulsyah, S.I.P, M.I.S
Dian Novikrisna, S.Sos., M.IS.
OUR EVENT
Resistance and Betrayal for a Free Korea:
“Assassination” (2015) Movie Screening
BINUS University Centre for Business and Diplomatic Studies, Korean Peninsula Research Cluster (CBDS-KPRC) held its first second-semester student Korean Roundtable movie screening on Friday, 11th September 2026, with the featured movie titled “Assassination”.
The screening was held at the Kijang Lab Psychology on Binus University’s Kijang Campus. The event brought together students, lecturers, and researchers from CBDS-KPRC to watch a film, share insights and knowledge, and then discuss it.
Before the movie started, Naomi, who served as an organiser at the Korean Peninsula Research Cluster (KPRC), delivered opening and introductory remarks, explaining the historical context of the movie setting, which is set during the Japanese occupation of Korea, and noted that this movie reminds us of another movie which we also screened last semester.
How Assassination (2015) Portrayed Korea’s Resistance Against Japanese Occupation
Directed by Choi Dong-hoon. Set largely in 1933, the film follows a Korean resistance faction operating across Seoul and Shanghai as it plots to assassinate a Japanese military commander and a prominent Korean collaborator, at a time when dozens of independence factions were active across Korea, China, and Manchuria.
The story opens with resistance fighter Yeom Seok-jin’s failed plan to assassinate businessman Kang In-guk and the Japanese governor-general. After the botched plot, Kang murders his wife for aiding Yeom, causing his twin daughters to be separated. Amid over a dozen Korean independence groups operating throughout Korea, China, and Manchuria, Yeom has climbed to be a captain in one group, though he secretly informs the Japanese after being broken by torture.
Acting for resistance commanders Kim Koo and Kim Won-bong, Yeom is tasked with gathering three disgraced fighters, An Ok-yun, “Big Gun,” and Duk-sam, for a mission targeting Kang and Japanese general Kawaguchi Mamoru, but he secretly betrays the plan to the Japanese and recruits a mercenary to kill the group himself.
Assassination (2015) presents not only resistance fighters risking their lives for independence, but also the betrayal and mercenary self-interest that complicated the movement from within, alongside the Japanese forces and collaborators the resistance faced, in a style reminiscent of American director Quentin Tarantino’s movies.
The film closes by tying its fictional story back to the real independence struggle it draws from, a struggle that would continue for over a decade after the events it depicts until Korea’s liberation from Japanese rule. A short discussion followed, as few students asked questions about Korea’s independence movement and the resistance factions that inspired the film.
Writer: Jamie A. Malik
Editor: Alvin Qobulsyah
Language Cafe 2.0: Get to Know Hangeul
On Friday, 18th of September 2026, BINUS Korean Peninsula Research Cluster – Center for Business and Diplomatic Studies (KPRC-CBDS) held the third Language Cafe series on the topic “Get to Know Hangeul”. This session was held through a Zoom meeting moderated by Mochamad Alvin Dwiana Qobulsyah, S.I.P., M.I.S., and presented by speaker Dian Novikrisna, S.Sos., M.IS
The session began with a review of Hangeul basics and pronunciation, then participants wrote their own names in Hangeul as an exercise. Afterwards, the session continued with what was left from last session’s basic speaking class, with the objective of embracing people’s curiosity about the language behind Korean culture. This provided an accessible, safe space for beginners to learn Hangeul as part of a growing global cultural exchange, introducing the basics of structure and pronunciation in an interactive, engaging setting.
Participants were then guided into the basics of self-expression in Korean conversation as an extension of last session’s speaking class. This includes vocabulary and grammar for introducing one’s name, origin, and occupation, as well as variations of words and sentences for specific settings. With this knowledge, participants are expected to be able to engage in basic conversations using socially appropriate, structured Korean essential for meaningful communication.
Session Key Takeaways
This session reviews the previous fundamental Hangeul introduction relevant for daily use. In this case, participants are encouraged to practice writing their name in Hangeul on a shared digital whiteboard.
Moving forward, the session revisits basic conversational name and nationality introductions in Korean with phrases such as Je ireumeun [name] imnida (제 이름은 [name] 입니다), which means “My name is [name]”, and Jeoneun [Country] saram-ieyo (저는 [Country] 사람이에요), meaning “I am [country]”.
However, participants were asked questions such as Ireumi mwoyeyo? (이름이 뭐예요?) to ask for a name, and eoneu nara saram-ieyo (어느 나라 사람이예요?) when asking for someone’s national identity. Beyond that, a similar question about a person’s country of origin: Eodieseo wass-eoyo? (어디에서 왔어요?) meaning “Where are you from?” is to be replied with Jeoneun [Country]e-seo wass-eoyo (저는 [Country]에서 왔어요.), which means “I am from [Country]”
The last pair of question and answer was regarding the topic of occupation, where one would ask Jigeobi mwoyeyo (직업이 뭐예요?), meaning “What is your job?”, and reply with Jeoneun [occupation]yeyo/ieyo (저는 [occupation]예요/이예요), which means “My job is [occupation]”. Participants completed these speaking exercises using the King Sejong Institute 온라인 세종학당 online resources, where they were encouraged to speak and use vocabulary for country names and occupations available to read in Hangeul.
By engaging in this Language Cafe session, participants should now be able to familiarise themselves with Hangeul and express their name, origin, and occupation in basic Korean expressions. Proper practice in this opportunity would enhance participants’ enthusiasm for cross-cultural communication, and they would take an interest in deepening and exploring the Korean language beyond the session.
Written by: Naomi Kimberly Rustam
Edited by: Mochamad Alvin Dwiana Qobulsyah
Broadening Academic Engagement on Korea Through Multidisciplinary Approaches
South Korea’s development over the past few decades has broadened the world’s perspective on the country.
Korea is no longer discussed solely in terms of its popular culture and language, but also in terms of its technological advancements, creative economy, demographics, politics and societal transformation. These changes have also driven the need to expand the study of Korea in Indonesia.
The Korea-Indonesia Connection (KIC) at the Faculty of Social and Political Sciences, University of Indonesia, in collaboration with the Korea Foundation Jakarta, is organising an academic seminar entitled ‘Broadening Academic Engagement on Korea through Multidisciplinary Approaches in Indonesia’ on 17 September 2026 at the Mochtar Riady Auditorium, Faculty of Social and Political Sciences, University of Indonesia.
This seminar brought together academics and researchers from various backgrounds to discuss how multidisciplinary approaches can strengthen the ecosystem of Korean studies while also opening opportunities for Indonesia to understand broader transformations across Asia.
Key Takeaways from the Discussion:
Strengthening Korean Studies Through Collaboration
Various issues related to Korea, from politics and public policy to society and culture, are often interlinked, making them difficult to understand through a single discipline alone. According to KIC FISIP UI Programme Director Getar Hati, PhD, developing Korean studies cannot be achieved merely by increasing the number of studies; it must be supported by strengthening interdisciplinary links. This multidisciplinary approach is therefore essential for building a more interconnected knowledge ecosystem. Collaboration through research, academic mobility, joint publications, and knowledge exchange will drive Korean studies beyond the mere consumption of knowledge and make it a space for generating new knowledge.
Learning from Korea’s Emerging Challenges
In addition to serving as a space for generating new knowledge, Suray Agung Nugroho, Ph.D., President of the International Association for Korean Studies in Indonesia (INAKOS), said Korean studies can also help us understand changes Indonesia may face. In this regard, South Korea can act as a social laboratory for observing various emerging developments across Asia.
Indeed, several issues are highly relevant for further study, including the demographic crisis and the ‘loneliness economy’, ethics in the digital society and the governance of Artificial Intelligence (AI), and the political economy of the Hallyu creative industry. These issues demonstrate that Korea’s appeal lies not only in the success of its cultural exports, but also in the various social and structural challenges that accompany them. From this perspective, Korean Studies is not merely about understanding another country’s experiences.
By examining Korea’s transformation, Indonesia can also identify changes that may emerge in the future. Korea’s experience in addressing an ageing population, technological developments, and changes in the creative industries can serve as a point of comparison for analysing Indonesia’s future dynamics.
The Role of Media in Indonesia–Korea Relations
Bilateral relations are not built solely through formal diplomacy or academic cooperation.
The information the public consumes also plays a significant role in shaping perceptions of other nations. Therefore, Mochamad Alvin Dwiana Qobulsyah, S.I.P., M.I.S., a Research Fellow at the Korean Peninsula Research Cluster, Binus University, highlights the media’s role in shaping how Indonesians and South Koreans understand one another.
Media consumption patterns differ between Indonesia and South Korea, underscoring the importance of understanding how information is produced, distributed, and received in both countries. Consequently, collaboration between academics and the media represents an area with significant potential for development within Korean Studies.
Academic research can provide deeper context and analysis, while the media plays a role in bringing this knowledge into the public sphere. This approach is also vital for promoting more verified and balanced reporting on both countries, particularly as Indonesia-South Korea relations continue to develop across various fields.
Lessons Learned from the Post Engagement
Korean studies in Indonesia can grow by broadening its lens across different fields.
Understanding Korea today requires more than one discipline, from AI governance to demographic decline to the political economy of Hallyu, as discussed during the seminar. Shows that these issues have crossed into politics, culture, technology, and society.
In the future, the similarities between these countries suggest that Indonesia may confront such issues as well, adding importance to this study, as Korea’s experience offers Indonesia a kind of preview for the years ahead.
Moving forward, the seminar calls for a path built on collaboration through movements such as joint research, academic exchange, shared publications and, notably, closer ties between scholars and the media.
As this research grows, it helps the public understand relations between the two countries through solid research rather than surface-level impressions, which will matter more and more over time.
Writer: Dhamayanti Pratiwi
Editor: Alvin Qobulsyah
