May 2, 2026 is the 50th anniversary of Yulia Vladimirovna Boltach, Senior Researcher at the Department of Far Eastern Studies, Candidate of Sciences in History, specialist in Korean Studies, Korean Buddhism and hanmun.

Yulia V. Boltach pursued the goal of becoming an Orientalist since her school days: she attended lectures on the history and culture of East Asia at the Hermitage, took Japanese language courses, studied at the “Small” Faculty of Oriental Studies of the Saint Petersburg State University. Graduating from secondary school with a gold medal, Yulia V. Boltach was admitted in 1995 to the Faculty of Oriental Studies of the Saint Petersburg State University (Department of Chinese, Korean and Southeast Asian Studies) with a specialization in Korean Buddhist studies. To this day she remains true to her chosen research area. During her university years, she participated several times in inter-university exchange programs and studied as an exchange student at the Division of International Education, Yonsei University, Seoul. As a postgraduate Master’s student, Y.V. Boltach demonstrated high-level research results and in 2000 joined the Saint Petersburg Branch of the Institute of Oriental Studies, RAS (at present the Institute of Oriental Manuscripts, RAS) as a senior research assistant. In 2002 she entered the postgraduate studies program at the same Institute.

Yulia V. Boltach conducted research on the Korean medieval history and under the supervision of the outstanding Sinologist Alexander S. Martynov (1933‒2013) prepared her Candidate of Sciences in History dissertation entitled “Lives of Eminent Monks of the State to the East of the Sea (13th c.) as a Source on the Early History of Korea” [“Жизнеописания достойных монахов Страны, что к востоку от моря” (XIII в.) как источник по ранней истории Кореи]. Successful defence of this dissertation took place in 2007.

Since 2000, Yulia V. Boltach has been working at the Department of Far Eastern Studies, IOM, RAS, continuously advancing in her career from a research assistant to a senior researcher, and also carrying out the duties of the Department’s academic secretary for many years. Y.V. Boltach is a recognized expert in the field of Korean Buddhism, Buddhist textual studies in Korea, and translation from hanmun. Her scholarship is closely linked with the study of Korean written sources kept at the IOM, RAS.

She is the author of more than 80 research works, including fundamental monographs such as: “Gakhun. Lives of Eminent Korean Monks (Haedong Kosung Chon)” (2007); a full translation and study of “Iryon. Memorabilia of the Three Kingdoms (Samguk Yusa)” (2018); “The Primer for Youth (Tongmong sonsup)” (2025).

Y.V. Boltach is always eager to share her deep knowledge and vast experience with colleagues at our Institute, and she provides invaluable guidance helping them master complicated texts and methodology of research on Korean texts. She is an active lecturer: at the Saint Petersburg State University (2002‒2008), the Oriental Institute (2002), the Herzen State Pedagogical University of Russia (2017‒2018). As a visiting lecturer she led courses at the Novosibirsk State University in 2011 and 2016.

Yulia V. Boltach is sincerely respected and appreciated by colleagues for her high professionalism, rigorous attitude to research and respect of Saint Petersburg traditions of Oriental studies.

On her 50th anniversary, we would like to thank Yulia Vladimirovna Boltach for diligent work and academic achievements.