On Wednesday, October 29, at 11:00 a.m., Kyungnam University President Jae Kyu Park conferred an Honorary Doctor of Literature degree upon poet Gjekë Marinaj. The ceremony was held in the International Conference Room on the 2nd floor of the Peace Hall at the Institute for Far Eastern Studies.

This honorary degree was awarded in recognition of Marinaj’s longstanding contributions to advancing the values of global peace and human solidarity through the convergence of humanities and the arts, as well as his leadership in facilitating sustained exchanges between Korean and international literary communities.

Gjekë Marinaj is an Albanian-born American poet, writer, world literature scholar, translator, and literary critic. He has conducted extensive research and translation work in poetry and literature across numerous countries, publishing more than 25 collections of poetry, literary criticism, and translated works. He is also the founder of the Protonism Theory, an original methodology for literary and artistic criticism. This theory has been incorporated into the curricula of several universities across Europe and Asia, opening new horizons in literary studies.

In his acceptance address, Marinaj stated, “It is an honor to become part of Kyungnam University through the conferral of this Honorary Doctor of Literature degree. I cherish this moment and am deeply grateful.” He emphasized that “poetry and politics alike exist to uphold human dignity. Poetry is a language of peace that reflects both those who are heard and those who are not. It is a precious bridge that can give e-x-p-r-e-s-s-i-o-n to freedom, courage, peace, and hope.” He added, “I pay tribute to Kyungnam University for its dedicated research on peace on the Korean Peninsula.”

Approximately 50 guests—including Sun Hyang Kim, Chairperson of the University of North Korean Studies; poet Dong-Ho Choi (Emeritus Professor, Korea University); poet Hyo Hwan Kwak; Kwan-Sei Lee, Director of the Institute for Far Eastern Studies; President of the University of North Korean Studies, Jong Dae Shin; and faculty members of both institutions—attended the ceremony in celebration of the conferral of the honorary degree.