Asia-Pacific linguists open conference in Seoul

A poster for the Asia and Pacific Communication Association conference to be held in Seoul, July 6-8
The Pacific and Asian Communication Association opens a three-day conference at the Law School Building of Sungkyunkwan University in Seoul from today.

This is the 9th biennial international conference, with a post-convention tour to Gyeongju City, the most historical and traditional area in Korea, from July 6 to 8.

Delegates from Pacific Rim countries will meet and present scholarly papers on the subjects of communication and culture.

Participants will have opportunities to interact with their counterparts from Malaysia, Indonesia, Korea, Japan, China, the Philippines, Singapore, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Australia, New Zealand, the Pacific Islands, Canada and the United States.

They will also honor and remember the late Donald W. Klopf, founder and first president of the Communication Association of the Pacific (CAP), the World Communication Association (WCA) and the Pacific and Asian Communication Association (PACA), who passed away two years ago.

“Don’s life-long efforts and devotion to society as well as his untiring zeal and consuming curiosity in studying intercultural communication, made a most striking impression upon us,” said Park Myungseok, a professor emeritus of Dankook University.

Park said, “We will forever miss his commitment to the society and his academic presence,” adding, “We were also lucky and grateful to have had such a precious and faithful friend in Don. We will surely cherish the dear memories of him for a long time deep in our hearts.”

Park established the award for outstanding papers on intercultural communication in 2007. A special committee of distinguished scholars will pick the winners who will receive a citation and $10,000. Professor Baek Seon-gi of Sungkyunkwan University heads the Pacific and Asian Communication Association.

Kim Jun-young, president of Sungkyunkwan University; Carolyn Calloway-Thomas, president of Indiana University; Caroline Hatcher , professor of Queens University in Australia; and Adbul Muati Ahmad, professor of the University Putra in Malaysia, will deliver congratulatory addresses.