She estimated that the number of Arabic majors to have graduated from HUFS, along with three other universities in the country offering Arabic programs, is about 5,000 by now. But she doubts their skills are being employed in useful areas. "I do not think South Korea is making good use of this pool of human resources," she said, arguing that a lack of understanding of Islamic culture is ultimately to blame for the rift between the Islamic world and everywhere else. "What is being described as a clash of civilizations between Islam and Christianity is not about religion. The religious unity of Muslims is being abused on the international political stage," she said, referring to the recent terrorist attacks in Mumbai, allegedly waged by a radical Islamic group. Concentrating her study on Palestinian literature, often characterized by its overtone of loss and longing after the 1948 Palestinian exodus, Song said the back-and-forth between Palestine and Israel has become a game for the major powers of the world. "The Arab world is often referred to as an ''Explosive Region,'' mostly due to the Palestine conflict," said Song. "That is an issue all the Arab countries unite their voice on." For Palestinians, Song said, it is like "you have a family, but you don''t have a home to go back to." Song recently co-hosted with the government-funded Korea-Arab Society the first annual Korean-Arab Literary Forum to explore new avenues for enhancing bilateral cultural dialogue. She is also compiling an Arabic-Korean dictionary together with her former students. "There is demand for a good Arabic-Korean dictionary, not only within South Korea but also in Egypt as well as Jordan and Morocco. The department of Korean language was established in Egypt''s Ain Shams University and it has been attracting many top students," she said. "The demand will increase along with South Korea''s development of national strength," Song said. (Qna) MD