Lecturer Korean Language Program Director Dr. Leeseul Park holds a Ph.D. in East Asian Languages and Literatures from the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa (UHM) and has teaching experience across all proficiency levels, including advanced curriculum development using immersive virtual reality. Her academic background also includes an M.A. in Second Language Studies from UHM and a B.A. in Political Science from Chuo University in Japan, which informs her multilingual and multicultural approach to both research and teaching. As a Korean language educator and researcher, Dr. Park has expertise in Korean linguistics, second language acquisition, language assessment, and critical pedagogy. She is particularly interested in instructional materials development and technology-enhanced language teaching. Her recent projects examine how vocabulary breadth contributes to speaking and writing proficiency using CAF (complexity, accuracy, fluency) measures, and how assessment tools can better capture these dimensions in L2 Korean. Dr. Park’s teaching philosophy centers on communicative, task-based learning that empowers students to engage with language in real-world, meaningful contexts. She designs content-based courses that integrate authentic materials and immersive technologies to promote critical thinking, learner autonomy, and meaningful engagement with Korean language and culture. Committed to innovative teaching and inclusive language education, she actively contributes to curricular design, the integration of technology, and assessment in Korean language classrooms.
