After graduating from KULeuven (MA in Germanic Philology) Joris accepted an offer to go and lecture at the Teacher Training department of Kyung Hee University, Seoul. What originally started out as a two-year arrangement finally turned out to be a seven year adventure. Joris picked up the language and returned home with an additional MA in Classical Korean Literature.  It may not be an obvious, but definitely a steep descent towards the very heart of Korean culture.

Back in Europe he divided his time between his two passions: linguistics (language as an expression of culture) and education (passing on culture). During a second cycle of seven years he held a part-time position at the KULeuven – where he still teaches Korean Language and Culture to this day – and a full-time position with Oxford University Press.

Back in Belgium he spent four years in educational circles, especially working on the implementation of equal opportunities and language remediation in Brussels. Since September 2007 he has held the position of full-time lecturer at GroupT Leuven Education College.  In his spare moments he offers departure seminars and Cultural Awareness seminars for companies working closely with Korea.

Among his customers are companies and institutions such as Volvo Trucks, Nike, Agfa, IMEC and the European Union.