The Oxford Character Project (OCP) has begun a new collaboration with world-renowned composer and producer Professor Kim Hyung-suk to develop innovative character and leadership education programmes rooted in K-culture, the global Korean cultural movement. Prof Hyung-suk, described as one of the “godfathers of K-pop,” is globally recognised for composing enduring hits and shaping Korean pop culture.
The six-year partnership aims to go beyond traditional arts or performance training by intertwining the Korean Wave’s creative energy with character-based leadership education. Engaging with the new Korean International School of Arts and Sciences, our team will design curricula that use Korean cultural forms, including music, drama, and creative expression, as vehicles for cultivating essential character qualities such as empathy, courage, creativity, and resilience. Dr Hark-Joon Lee, Emmy-nominated filmmaker and Research Fellow at the Oxford Character Project, highlighted the importance of this initiative in expanding our thinking about language, culture, and leadership. Drawing on his research into the global Korean Wave, he said, “K-culture is one of the most dynamic and influential forms of popular culture today, and it has a profound impact on young people around the world. Through this collaboration, I hope to use K-pop and other forms of Korean culture not only as entertainment, but as educational tools that help young people explore their own identities, understand others, and contribute to bringing a fragmented world closer together.”
In 2024, Prof Hyung-suk granted the University of Oxford access to over 1,400 of his songs for language and cultural education and served as a visiting researcher, helping to lay the groundwork for this collaboration. Professor Edward Brooks, Executive Director of the Oxford Character Project, emphasised that this new initiative, building on the vision of Prof Hyung-suk, recognises the Korean Wave not only as a global entertainment phenomenon but also as a potential platform for leadership development and personal growth. The collaboration is further strengthened by Professor Jieun Kiaer, Young Bin Min-KF Professor of Korean Linguistics at the University of Oxford, whose research explores the global Korean Wave, language education, and intercultural communication, and Dr Wei Wang, whose work in character research across global contexts deepens the project’s academic foundations in leadership formation.
If you would like to learn more about the project, please write to info@oxfordcharacter.org.