▲ Composer Kim Hyung-seok playing the piano during a lecture at Oxford University, UK
Composer and producer Kim Hyung-seok has been selected as a global artist at prestigious Oxford University and will engage in creative and research activities as a visiting scholar.
This year, Kim was chosen as one of the six world artists for the newly established ‘Humanities and Kellogg College Visiting Program’ at Oxford University.
He was recognized as an ‘innovative artist’ who contributed to the global success of K-pop.
The program invites world-renowned artists active in their fields to collaborate with leading scholars within the university for creative and research purposes. Starting this year, around ten artists will be selected annually in the second half.
The selected artists will share their knowledge at various colleges within Oxford University and engage with global scholars.
They will also participate in conferences and contribute to education based on their professional experiences.
Kim will offer special lectures and performances related to artificial intelligence (AI) and K-pop.
For his first activity, Kim will deliver a lecture at Wolfson College, Oxford, on December 4th, and perform K-pop songs he composed in front of faculty members.
Additionally, he will collaborate with Professor Jo Ji-eun’s research team on creative works and research related to the globalization of the Korean language and plan to conduct joint research on the convergence of AI and Hallyu (Korean Wave).
Furthermore, Oxford University plans to co-host K-pop and Hallyu events and support academic research in the ‘Schwarzman Centre for the Humanities and Arts,’ set to open next year, featuring both humanities research facilities and a large performance hall.
In connection with this, Professor Jo Ji-eun’s research team is promoting the establishment of the Oxford Hallyu Center for the sustainable development of K-culture.
Last July, Kim became the first Asian pop culture figure to perform and give a special lecture at the Sheldonian Theatre during Oxford University’s graduation ceremony, and he has allowed the university’s research team to use over 1,400 of his compositions free of charge.
Kim stated, “This recognition is not for an individual but acknowledges K-POP as a whole,” and added, “I will ensure to achieve results by researching ‘sustainable Hallyu’ at the world’s top research institution.”
(Photo provided by PD Byeon Jae-gil, Yonhap News)