Taru Salminen is the best known Finn in South Korea. Restaurateur, translator and TV personality, Salminen is a regular contributor to Korean culture and society. She aims to bring the Finnish and Korean cultures closer together and hopes to be able to work on a more flexible basis between the two countries.
Taru Ulla-Riikka Salminen
Born October 29, 1977, Elimäki.
Bachelor of Arts (East Asian Studies), University of Helsinki, 2006
Bachelor of Business Administration, Helia University of Applied Sciences, 2006
Translator and restaurateur
Assistant, Finnish Embassy of Finland, Republic of Korea, Seoul, 2007-
Intern, Finnish Embassy of Finland, Republic of Korea, Seoul, 2005–2006
Written by Tero Juutilainen
Translated by John Calton
Taru Salminen did her school final examinations in spring 1996. The following autumn she began studying in the Asian Studies Department of the University of Helsinki. The range of courses on offer rather took her by surprise.
“I got to know subjects that I didn’t even know existed in the…
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Taru Salminen doesn’t exactly consider herself a household name in Korea, although some people do recognise her in the street. Various appearances on TV and radio, on entertainment and current affairs programmes, have seen to it that she is one of Korea’s best known Finns!
Read moreOwing to work demands, Taru Salminen hasn’t been to the University of Helsinki for some time now, but she has a number of fond memories from her study days.
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At present Taru Salminen is doing her teacher training at the Open University in Turku. She’s aiming to become a qualified teacher of Korean and indeed teach the language. She doesn’t rule out the possibility of completing her studies at the University of Helsinki.
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