As the 12th president of the Applied Linguistics Association of Korea (ALAK), I am pleased to send my heartfelt greetings to all members of the association. ALAK, which was founded in 1978 with a small number of members, celebrated its 30th anniversary in 2008. Thanks to the hard work of its presidents and members, ALAK takes pride in its rapid development of studies in applied linguistics. It has grown remarkably, developing both diverse membership and efficient management. The Korean Journal of Applied Linguistics, the association's triannual journal, was proudly certified in December 2004 by the Korean Research Foundation. ALAK is proud of its unique merits. It provides scholastic arenas for junior scholars with CALL fairs and poster sessions. I hope it will continue to serve as a bridge in the field of KFL (Korean as a foreign language) to connect scholars at home and abroad.

ALAK should move forward briskly. During my two-year stewardship, I have four things to accomplish. Firstly, I will consider the regional diversity of the board and of conference sites. Secondly, I hope to publish the journal quarterly. In doing so, ALAK will have more room to accept a greater variety of research types. It is my sincere goal that ALAK will move one step closer to our members. Thirdly, ALAK will continue to advertise all research activities, encourage members to attend the international conferences of AILA, JACET and other associations, and invite scholars from abroad to cooperate in researching a variety of topics in applied linguistics. We have prepared to bid to host the 2017 international AILA conference in Seoul. Lastly, I will make a "prize for excellence in research."

ALAK is an association that belongs to its members. I will try to cherish it as "Our Proud Association." With your concern and active participation, yes, we can make it an attractive one. If you have any suggestions or criticisms, I am ready to hear from you.

All the best,

Professor Kyung-Whan Cha,
ALAK President 2009-2010

ALAK (Applied Linguistics Association of Korea)