The Middle East has been quite important, 'geopolitically,' because it is located in the middle of three continents - Asia, Europe, and Africa. The region includes the Suez Canal and Red Sea as well as the Arabian Sea. The Middle East, so-called 'powder keg of the world,' is a region with a mixture of diverse thoughts and ideologies. For Korean people who didn't previously give much thought to the Middle East, the region came into the spotlight following 9/11 terror and two incidents directly involving Koreans - when Kim Sun Il was kidnapped and killed by Islamic extremists in 2004 and when two Koreans were killed by Afghan extremists in 2007. Most Korean people seemed to have a negative view of the Middle East. These days, however, it arises as an important area economically and politically so efforts are being made to strengthen the relationship between Korea and the Middle East and to overcome the prejudices Koreans show towards Middle Eastern people. For example, the Korean Center for Arab and Islamic Culture was founded in Inchon in 2007 to help citizens learn about Middle Eastern culture.  In tune with the times, KMU has recently concluded an Academic Exchange Agreement with Kuwait University. Our university has also constructed a RTES (Real Time Two-Way Education System) with Kuwait University so professors and students will soon be able to participate in lectures and scientific conferences together through remote video conference. This semester, three students from Morocco, Algeria and Saudi Arabia are attending KMU as exchange students. A class called Understanding Islamic Culture was also established in the department of liberal arts in the second term of last year so Kookminians could study the history, economy, culture, religion and customs of the Middle East under Professor Kim Dong Uk. Prof. Kim previously worked as the Korean Ambassador to Sudan. He said "Korea opened up trade with the Middle East from the time of the Shilla Dynasty so we have had a relationship with the Middle East for a thousand years. Now the Middle East is in the center of international attention. We have to step up mutual ties of cooperation."

On September 23, the Saudi Arabian Embassy held a reception in the Shilla Hotel. Important figures from many different countries as well as exchange students from Saudi Arabia, South Korean government representatives, and Korea-Saudi Friendship Society members gathered to celebrate the Saudi Arabian national holiday and promote friendship between our countries. Lee Sung Woo, the president of KMU, Prof. Kim and four Kookminians who attend the Understanding Islamic Culture class also attended. Abdullah A. Al-Aifan, the Saudi Arabian ambassador announced "The Saudi Arabian government will concentrate on exchanging not only in the economic field but also in the cultural and educational field. We will increase the number of exchange students to strengthen friendly relations between the younger generations of Korea and Saudi Arabia." Kookminian Kim Sun Woo (Senior, Dept. of Political Science and Diplomacy) said "I was very pleased to be able to participate in this party. It was a good chance for me to understand the national traits of the Middle East and experience its culture. From this opportunity, I have more interest in the Middle East."  One of the interchange students from Saudi Arabia, Turki (Sophomore, Dept. of Electrical Engineering, Seoul National University of Technology), said "I'm having a great time in Korea, but I feel that Koreans sometimes feel constrained with us because of their unfamiliarity with Arabic customs and the differences between Arabic and Korean culture and religion." In order to fully understand the Middle East, we have to change our perspective without prejudice and misunderstanding. It is important to expand exchanges in various areas, but it is more important to have an open mind to understand the uniqueness of Middle Eastern society.