ysj – GW Institute for Korean Studies

September 5, 2023October 2, 2023

Korean Music Performance: Playing Korean Sanjo on the Violin

GWIKS Special Event

Playing Korean Sanjo on the Violin

The Kim Ilgu School of Ajaeng Sanjo, Violin Version: The Long Sanjo (World Premiere)

Wednesday, September 27, 2023

4:00 PM – 5:30 PM EDT

In-Person Event

University Student Center, Continental Ballroom

800 21st Street, NW, 3rd Floor, Washington DC, 20052

What is Korean Sanjo Music?

Sanjo is a genre of Korean traditional folk art music for a solo melodic instrument such as the zither kayagŭm or flute taegŭm, accompanied by an hourglass-shaped drum called Changgu. Sanjo consists of several movements of increasing speed built on the unique Korean rhythmic patterns called Changdan. The solo instrument plays dramatic and expressive melodic phrases that draw from the inflections of spoken Korean that are also characteristic of p’ansori singing.  Although a native of Korea, violinist Soh-Hyun Park Altino crossed paths with traditional Korean music only in 2019 while investigating distinctive musical elements in Sanjo for Violin and Piano (1955) by La Un-Yung (1922-1993), her maternal grandfather. Since then, supported by various research grants, she has pursued a new line of study of interpreting traditional ajaeng sanjo on the Western violin. In addition to studying extensively with traditional musicians in Korea, she has trained on the Kim Ilgu School of Ajaeng Sanjo with the composer-performer Kim Ilgu, Holder of National Important Intangible Cultural Property. This lecture and world premiere are made possible by the 2023 Korean Studies Grant of the Academy of Korean Studies and the Faculty Global Research Award of the Wheaton College.

Performers

Soh-Hyun Park Altino (Violin) came to the U.S. at age sixteen in pursuit of better musical educational opportunities and earned her bachelor’s, master’s, and the Doctor of Musical Arts degrees in violin performance at the Cleveland Institute of Music under the tutelage of Donald Weilerstein. Highly regarded as a gifted teacher and a versatile performer of solo and chamber music, Park taught at the University of Memphis and the University of Wisconsin-Madison prior to her current appointment as Associate Professor of Music at Wheaton College in Illinois.

Jeong Junho (Changgu) has concertized extensively across the United States, Europe, and Southeast Asia since 2004 when he became a member of the National Gugak Center in Seoul. The Presidential Prize winner of the 2002 Haenam National Competition for Traditional Percussion, Jeong is a highly sought-after p’ansori and sanjo collaborator. He received his masters and doctoral degrees in Korean Music Performance from Chung-Ang University and Hanyang University, respectively. Jeong currently serves on the faculty at Seoul National University and Hanyang University in Seoul.

Moderator

portrait of Jisoo Kim in professional attire

Jisoo M. Kim is Korea Foundation Associate Professor of History, International Affairs, and East Asian Languages and Literatures at George Washington University. She is Founding Director of the GW Institute for Korean Studies (2017-Present) and Founding Co-Director of the East Asia National Resource Center (2018-Present). She also serves as Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Korean Studies. She specializes in gender, sexuality, law, emotions, and affect in Korean history. She is the author of The Emotions of Justice: Gender, Status, and Legal Performance in Chosŏn Korea (University of Washington Press, 2016), which was awarded the 2017 James Palais Prize of the Association for Asian Studies. She is also the co-editor of The Great East Asian War and the Birth of the Korean Nation by JaHyun Kim Haboush (Columbia University Press, 2016). She is currently working on a book project tentatively entitled Criminalization of Intimacy: Adultery Law and the Making of Monogamous Marriage in Korea. She received her M.A., M.Phil., and Ph.D. in East Asian Languages and Cultures from Columbia University.

September 1, 2023October 2, 2023

09/20/2023 | Premodern Korea Lecture Series with Pierre-Emmanuel Roux

“Cartography and Contraband Religion in Chosŏn Korea: Andreas Kim Taegŏn (1821-1846) and his Map of Korea“

Wednesday, September 20, 2023

10:00 A.M – 11:30 A.M. EDT

Zoom Event

Event Program (PDF)

About the Event

Andreas Kim Taegŏn is viewed in the Korean collective memory as the first indigenous Catholic priest and a martyr for his faith. This common perception, however, conceals a much more complex story, that of Kim Taegŏn’s life trajectory as go-between and religious broker. This is evidenced among other things by the Map of Korea (Carta Coreæ) that he drew in 1845. This presentation investigates the hybrid nature of this map, which is neither fully Asian nor fully Western, and seeks to go beyond the question of adopting or rejecting modern European cartography at the expense of traditional Korean cartography. Dr. Roux will explore the making of a clandestine missionary cartography through the reappropriation of Korean official knowledge, and also demonstrate how go-betweens who mastered linguistic and cultural codes shaped the history of Catholicism beyond a mere religious contribution. In doing so, this presentation shows how the Map of Korea sheds light on both European adaptations of Asian maps and the historical evolution of Korean cartography in the late Chosŏn period (1392-1897). It also demonstrates that the supposed original map discovered in the French National Library in 2019 is certainly nothing more than a late and bad copy of the real original map.

Speaker

Pierre-Emmanuel Roux is an associate professor of East Asian history at Université Paris Cité. He is interested in the circulation of legal and religious knowledge in East Asia from the seventeenth to the nineteenth century. He is the author of three monographs in French: La Croix, la baleine et le canon: La France face à la Corée au milieu du XIXe siècle [The Cross, the Whale, and the Cannon: French Policy towards Korea in the Mid Nineteenth Century] (Cerf, 2012), Les Enfers vivants ou La tragédie illustrée des coolies chinois à Cuba et au Pérou [The Living Hells or The Illustrated Tragedy of Chinese Coolies in Cuba and Peru] (Hémisphères, 2018), and Au tribunal du repentir : La proscription du catholicisme en Chine (1724-1860) [At the Tribunal of Repentance: The Prohibition of Catholicism in China, 1724-1860] (CNRS Editions, 2023). He also serves as the Chief Editor of the French scholarly journal Extrême-Orient, Extrême-Occident. He is currently working on a book project tentatively entitled Andreas Kim Taegŏn (1821-1846): The Clandestine Life and Heroic Afterlife of the First Korean Catholic Priest.

Moderator

August 31, 2023October 4, 2023

09/13/2023 | Korea Policy Forum, Trilateral Strategic Cooperation Beyond the Security on the Korean Peninsula

Korea Policy Forum

Trilateral Strategic Cooperation Beyond the Security on the Korean Peninsula

Wednesday, September 13, 2023

4:00 PM – 5:00 PM EDT

Hybrid Event

George Washington University, Elliott School for International Affairs 1957 E ST NW, Washington DC
Lindner Family Commons, Room 602

Virtual via Zoom

See the Event Program

At the Camp David Summit on August 18th, U.S. President Joe Biden, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, and Japanese Prime Minster Fumio Kishida agreed to upgrade their relationship to a level of strategic cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region that is not confined solely to the Korean peninsula. This new trilateral cooperation focuses not only on coping with security threats from North Korea but also on enhancing security alertness against disruptive powers in the Indo-Pacific region. Promoting peace and stability in the region by co-defending a rules-based international order stands at the core of the spirit of this trilateral strategic cooperation. Furthermore, this trilateral cooperation encompasses not only defense issues but also a diverse array of issues including economic security, supply chain soundness, technological development, health, and climate change. Working together to deal with these future challenges represents a new comprehensive strategic partnership between the three countries. The GW Institute for Korean Studies and East Asian National Resource Center invite you to join us for this special lecture which will highlight newly-unfolding opportunities and challenges related to enhanced strategic cooperation among the U.S., South Korea, and Japan.

Speaker

CHEOL HEE PARK has been the Chancellor of the Korea National Diplomatic Academy (KNDA) since March 31, 2023. He has also served as a Professor at the Graduate School of International Studies (GSIS) at Seoul National University since 2004. Previously, he was Director of Institute for Japanese Studies (2012-2016), Dean of the GSIS (2016-2018), and Director of the Institute of International Affairs (2019-2023) at Seoul National University. He also served as President of the Korean Association for Contemporary Japanese Studies in 2017. Before joining the faculty at Seoul National University in 2004, he was an Assistant Professor at the National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies (GRIPS) in Japan between 1999 and 2002 and at the Institute for Foreign Affairs and National Security (IFANS) between 2002 and 2004. He has also served as a Visiting Professor at Columbia University, the University of Tokyo, Keio University, and Nankai University. In 2022, he served as a senior staff member on the Subcommittee on Foreign Relations and Security of the Presidential Transition Committee. In his personal capacity, Dr. Park has worked as a board member at several think tanks, including the Asan Institute for Policy Studies, Sejong Institute, East Asia Foundation, and Maureen and Mike Mansfield Foundation. He also served as a Non-Resident Senior Research Fellow at the Atlantic Council. Dr. Park is also a prolific author and he wrote a column in the Tokyo Shimbun from 2012 to 2021. He has written a number of columns in Chosun Ilbo, Joongang Ilbo, Munhwa Ilbo, Maeil Business Newspaper, and Seoul Shinmun. Dr. Park has written a number of books and articles in Korean, English, and Japanese, including a book titled LDP Politics and the Transformation of Postwar Japanese Regime (Seoul National University Press, 2011). Dr. Park received his B.A. and M.A. in Political Science from Seoul National University and has a Ph.D. from Columbia University.

Moderator

JISOO M. KIM is Korea Foundation Associate Professor of History, International Affairs, and East Asian Languages and Literatures at George Washington University. She is Founding Director of the GW Institute for Korean Studies (2017-Present) and Founding Co-Director of the East Asia National Resource Center (2018-Present). She also serves as Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Korean Studies. She specializes in gender, sexuality, law, emotions, and affect in Korean history. She is the author of The Emotions of Justice: Gender, Status, and Legal Performance in Chosŏn Korea (University of Washington Press, 2016), which was awarded the 2017 James Palais Prize of the Association for Asian Studies. She is also the co-editor of The Great East Asian War and the Birth of the Korean Nation by JaHyun Kim Haboush (Columbia University Press, 2016). She is currently working on a book project tentatively entitled Criminalization of Intimacy: Adultery Law and the Making of Monogamous Marriage in Korea. She received her M.A., M.Phil., and Ph.D. in East Asian Languages and Cultures from Columbia University.

August 9, 2023October 4, 2023

[Special Conference] Syngman Rhee and the US-ROK Alliance

Syngman Rhee and the US-ROK Alliance

Conference in Commemoration of the 70th Anniversary of the US-ROK Alliance

& the 75th Anniversary of the Founding of the ROK

Friday, August 25, 2023

8:30 AM – 5:30 PM EDT

In-Person Event

Elliott School for International Affairs 1957 E ST NW, Washington DC
Lindner Family Commons, Room 602

* Breakfast, lunch, and light refreshments will be provided during the event. *

Program & Speaker Details

Event Description

2023 marks the 75th anniversary of the founding of the Republic of Korea and the 70th anniversary of the longstanding alliance between the Republic of Korea and the United States. In commemoration of these two pivotal events in US-ROK relations, the George Washington University Institute for Korean Studies (GWIKS) invites you to join us for a special conference analyzing Syngman Rhee’s legacy and his impact on the US-ROK alliance. Syngman Rhee, the first President of the Republic of Korea (ROK), received his B.A. degree from GW in 1907, a Distinguished Alumni Achievement Award in 1949, and an honorary degree (LL.D.) in 1954.

This conference will examine the Syngman Rhee period focusing on the historical perspectives of foreign policy, domestic politics, and cultural development. Additionally, the conference will examine Rhee’s role in the establishment of the US-ROK mutual defense treaty, which has played a key role in the security, development, and prosperity of the Republic of Korea. Furthermore, the conference will discuss the lasting impact of the defense treaty and its role in modern US-ROK relations. Historians and literary scholars will delve into these important issues over three-panel discussions throughout the conference.

Event Schedule

June 6, 2023October 4, 2023

[GWIKS Special Event] Minhwa, Marvelous Korean Folk Paintings

GWIKS Special Event

Minhwa, Marvelous Korean Folk Paintings

Wednesday, Jun 21, 2023

3:00 PM – 4:30 PM EDT

Hybrid Event

Elliott School for International Affairs

Room 505, 1957 E ST NW, Washington DC

Virtual via Zoom

See the Event Program

This lecture sheds light on some of the unique charms of Minhwa (Korean folk painting) from a modern perspective. Unconventional and free-spirited decorative art popular in the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910), Minhwa has recently caught on with modern Korean people. Amid the ongoing Korean wave or Hallyu, interest in Minhwa has also been growing outside of Korea and is becoming a major trend in contemporary Korean art. Minhwa could be said to be the most representative form of purely Korean art. A native art that stems from nature, Minhwa reflects the emotions, thoughts, and ways of life of the Korean people. It embodies the traditional style of free expression that has been going on for a long time in Korea. Minhwa consists of paintings driven by a rich popular imagination. As Koreans have dreamed of an equal world, many Minhwa images display a sense of resistance against a hierarchical society and rigidity. Minhwa paintings are full of symbols of happiness. Whereas most traditional Korean court paintings and literati paintings of the Joseon Dynasty represent Confucian ethics and ideologies, Minhwa paintings express practical and instinctive desires such as joy, wealth, success, and longevity. They are a spontaneous expression of the Korean sensibility.

Speaker

Byungmo Chung is an art historian specializing in Korean folk and genre paintings. He previously served as a Professor at Gyeongju University, a Visiting Scholar at Rutgers University, and as the President of the Association of Korean Folk Painting. He is the Head Director of The School of Minhwa. Noteworthy among his accomplishments is his organization of the Joseon Dynasty Chaekgeori exhibitions in 2016, hosted at prestigious institutions such as the Charles B. Wang Center in New York, the Spencer Museum of Art at the University of Kansas, and the Cleveland Museum of Art. From 2022 to 2023. He also curated Chaekgeori exhibitions in Europe, showcasing works by contemporary folk artists at esteemed venues, including the Nantes Korean Spring Festival in France, the Korean Cultural Center in France, the Korean Cultural Center in Spain, and the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna, Austria. Chung has authored numerous articles and books on Korean folk and genre paintings, notably including “Chaesaekhwa: Polychrome Paintings of Korea.”

Moderator

Young-Key Kim-Renaud is Professor Emeritus of Korean Language and Culture and International Affairs, and Senior Advisor to the Institute for Korean Studies at George Washington University. She taught at GW for 32 years and served as Chair of the East Asian Languages and Literatures Department for the last 12 years of her tenure before retiring in 2015. She has published 13 books and numerous articles on Korean language/linguistics and Korean culture, history, and literature. She was President of the International Circle of Korean Linguistics (1990-1992) and Editor-in-Chief of its journal, Korean Linguistics (2002-14). Organizer of major cultural and academic events, she is the recipient of prestigious grants and prizes including three Fulbright awards, the Republic of Korea Order of Cultural Merit, and the Samsung Bichumi (Women of the Year) Award in Korea. She currently serves as President of the Korean Literary Society of Washington.

May 12, 2023October 4, 2023

05/22/23 Book Launch Event: South Korea’s Survival Strategy – Nakyon Lee’s Initiative

Book Launch Event

South Korea’s Survival Strategy – Nakyon Lee’s Initiative

Monday, May 22, 2023

3:30 PM – 5:00 PM EDT

In-Person Event

George Washington University, Elliott School for International Affairs 1957 E ST NW, Washington DC
Lindner Family Commons, Room 602

**Consecutive interpretation from Korean to English will be provided during the Q&A session**

** 발표는 한국어로 진행되며, 순차 통역(한국어/영어)이 제공됩니다. **

See the Event Program

The GW Institute for Korean Studies invites you to a conversation with GWIKS Visiting Scholar Nakyon Lee, the former Prime Minister of South Korea. Based on his research during his term at GWIKS (June 2022-June 2023), he recently published a book in Korean entitled South Korea’s Survival Strategy – Nakyon Lee’s Initiative [Daehaminguk Saengjon Jeonryak – Lee Nakyon ui Gusang] (Book 21, 2023). At the book event, Prime Minister Lee would like to share his concerns about the current global situation and to discuss ongoing issues in international affairs. This book event will continue the discussions based on Mr. Lee’s lecture hosted by GWIKS in February. The book has already attracted great interest in South Korea for its analysis of survival strategies as the country faces military tensions on the Korean peninsula, U.S.-China competition, the Ukraine war, and global instability. Before returning home in late June, he will give lectures at two universities in Germany. We hope many of you can join us!

조지워싱턴대학 한국학연구소(GWIKS) 방문연구원 이낙연 전 대한민국 국무총리와 함께 북 토크를 겸한 귀국 간담회에 여러분을 초대합니다. 이 전 총리는 GWIKS에서의 연구를 토대로 한글책 ‘대한민국 생존전략-이낙연의 구상’ (21세기 북스)을 출간했습니다. 이 책은 한반도의 군사적 긴장과  미중 경쟁, 우크라이나 전쟁 등 세계정세의 불안한 전개에 직면한 대한민국의 선택을 제안해 한국에서 큰 주목을 받고 있습니다. 이 전 총리의 귀국을 앞두고 관심 있는 분들과 고민과 지혜를 나누고자 합니다. 지난해 6월부터 GW의 방문연구원으로 활동한 이 전 총리는 미국을 떠나 독일의 2개 대학에서 강연한 뒤 6월 하순에 귀국할 예정입니다. 관심 있는 분들의 많은 참여를 바랍니다.

Speaker

NAKYON LEE is a former prime minister of the Republic of Korea, who served under the Moon Jae-in administration. He graduated from Seoul National University with a degree in law and became a journalist at Dong-a Ilbo. After 21 years as a journalist, he entered politics and served five terms as a member of the National Assembly. During hisfourth term in 2014, he became the governor of Jeollanam-do Province until President Moon nominated Lee as his first prime minister in 2017. He was also elected as the chairperson of the Democratic Party of Korea in 2020. During his years in public affairs, he has focused on both domestic and international affairs of South Korea. As prime minister, he was responsible for overall domestic issues, including the safety of the citizens and society. He was a member of the Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee at the National Assembly, in which he worked towards a peaceful inter-Korean relationship. He currently serves as a Visiting Scholar at the GW Institute for Korean Studies, where his research focuses on the peacebuilding process on the Korean peninsula.

Introductory Remarks

ALYSSA AYRES is Dean of the Elliott School of International Affairs at George Washington University. Ayres is a foreign policy practitioner and award-winning author with senior experience in the government, nonprofit, and private sectors. From 2013 to 2021, she was senior fellow for India, Pakistan, and South Asia at the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR), where she remains an adjunct senior fellow. Her work focuses primarily on India’s role in the world and on U.S. relations with South Asia in the larger Indo-Pacific. Her book about India’s rise on the world stage, Our Time Has Come: How India is Making Its Place in the World, was published in 2018. Ayres is also interested in the emergence of subnational engagement in foreign policy, particularly the growth of international city networks, and her current book project (working title, Bright Lights, Biggest Cities: The Urban Challenge to India’s Future, under contract with Oxford University Press) examines India’s urban transformation and its international implications. From 2010 to 2013, Ayres served as Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for South Asia. She received an AB from Harvard College and an MA and PhD from the University of Chicago.

Moderator

MARK W. LIPPERT has a distinguished career in the United States government that spanned approximately two decades and included series of senior-level positions across multiple agencies. From 2014-2017, he served as the United States ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary to the Republic of Korea, based in Seoul. He previously held positions in the Department of Defense, including as chief of staff to Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel (2013-2014) and as assistant secretary of defense for Asian and Pacific Security Affairs (2012-2013), the top official in the Pentagon for all Asia issues. Lippert also worked in the White House as chief of staff to the National Security Council in 2009. Lippert served in the uniformed military. An intelligence officer in the United States Navy, he mobilized to active duty from 2009 to 2011 for service with Naval Special Warfare (SEALs) Development Group that included deployments to Afghanistan and other regions. From 2007 to 2008, he deployed as an intelligence officer with Seal Team One to Anbar Province, Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. He graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Stanford University with a B.A. in political science and holds an M.A. in international policy studies from the same institution. He speaks Korean and also studied Mandarin Chinese at Beijing University.

April 24, 2023October 4, 2023

05/04/2023 | North Korea Economic Forum: Virtual Panel Discussion

North Korea Economic Forum

Virtual Panel Discussion

“Reviewing North Korea’s Progress on Reforms in Agriculture and Finance”

Thursday, May 4, 2023

09:00 AM – 10:30 AM EDT

Virtual via Zoom

Program & Profiles

North Korea remains a black box to outside watchers who strive to understand the current status of the country’s economy. Although Pyongyang’s extremely strict COVID policies, including the closure of its borders, are largely still in place, the economy seems to be muddling through without any news about a full-scale disaster. However, the ruling Workers’ Party convened a plenary meeting dedicated to the “urgent task of improving the agricultural sector” last February. In following up on the decisions made at the plenary meeting, the government agencies were also urged to strengthen the country’s financial foundation and financial discipline to support the comprehensive development of their socialist construction. We invite you to join the GW Institute for Korean Studies and the Institute for Peace and Unification Studies at Seoul National University for an online discussion on North Korea’s progress on reforms in agriculture and finance.

Event Agenda

April 21, 2023April 23, 2023

Call for Papers and Panels, 2023: The Annual North Korea Economic Forum Conference

Call for Papers and Panels 2023

The Annual North Korea Economic Forum Conference

Deadline: Friday, April 28, 2023

The North Korea Economic Forum at the GW Institute for Korean Studies (GWIKS) is calling for papers and panels on “The Correlation Between North Korea’s Economic and Foreign Policy.” The authors of these papers will be invited to speak at the Annual North Korea Economic Forum Conference in October 2023. The selected papers will be published exclusively in the GWIKS Policy and Research Paper Series on the North Korean Economy in 2024.

Drawing from a variety of academic disciplines and subject-matter specializations, this conference will examine how North Korea’s economic policy has shaped, or has been shaped by, its foreign policy both in the Kim Jong Un era and historically, and the connection between Pyongyang’s foreign policy trends and economic reform. Topics for discussion will include but are not limited to:

Kim Il Sung’s pivot to the US in the early 1990s and North Korea’s economic policy
Kim Jong Il’s diplomatic outreach in the early 2000s and the “July 1 measures” launched in 2002
North Korea’s shift from byungjin to the “new strategic line” of concentrating all efforts on the economy in April 2018, and its diplomatic overtures toward South Korea, the US, and China in that same year
North Korea’s shift to a hard-line foreign policy since the collapse of the Hanoi summit and the current state of Kim Jong Un’s economic reform
The potential implications of changing foreign policy dynamics — namely the war in Ukraine, the US-China rivalry, and China-Russia relations — for North Korea’s economic options
North Korea’s use of technology to cope with economic challenges in an adverse foreign policy environment

The papers should be relevant to both academic and policy-oriented audiences.

This conference is open to graduate students, established academics, and think tank experts. Six proposals will be selected based on originality, feasibility, and relevance to the conference theme, with the goal of having the presentations incorporate a broad range of approaches to the topic. The authors will submit their draft papers by mid-July and receive peer reviews before presenting them at the Annual North Korea Economic Forum Conference in October 2023. The final length for the papers should be around 6,000 to 8,000 words each including citations. Each author will receive an honorarium of $2,000 after submitting their final papers based on peer reviews and copy editing. The papers will be published exclusively in the GWIKS Policy and Research Paper Series on the North Korean Economy in 2024.

Please submit an abstract between 300 and 500 words outlining the scope of the proposed paper along with a brief biography (max. 100 words) to gwiks@gwu.edu by Friday, April 28th, 2023, and indicate “2023 North Korea Economic Forum Application – [Full Name]” in the subject line; any general inquiries can be directed to gwiks@gwu.edu. Once the selected applicants confirm acceptance, they will be required to sign a publication acknowledgement.

About the North Korea Economic Forum
North Korea Economic Forum (NKEF) is part of the policy program at the George Washington University’s Institute for Korean Studies (GWIKS). The Forum aims to promote the understanding of North Korean economic issues, distribute well-balanced, deeply researched, and multi-dimensional insights on the North Korean economy and to expand networks among various North Korea watchers, scholars, and policymakers. The Forum mostly involves closed and off-the-record meetings, where participants can freely and seriously discuss critical issues. Mr. William Brown is currently the chair of NKEF and is leading the meetings. NKEF also organizes special conferences made public throughout the academic year. The Forum is made possible by a generous grant provided by the KDI School of Public Policy and Management.

March 16, 2023March 29, 2023

03/27/23 | Soh Jaipil Lecture Series with Se-Mi Oh

City of Sediments: A History of Seoul in the Age of Colonialism

Monday, March 27, 2023

3:00 PM – 4:30 PM EDT

Hybrid Event

In Person, George Washington University, Elliott School of International Affairs, Lindner Family Commons, Room 602

And Virtual via Zoom

Download Program (PDF)

Event Description

Presenting from her forthcoming book, City of Sediments: A History of Seoul in the Age of Colonialism, Dr. Oh will discuss how to read space and spatial practices as a writing of history. Focusing on Seoul of the 1920s under Japanese colonialism, this talk will demonstrate how the urban space became a site of discursive production for Japanese colonialism and how architecture brought about a new mode of visual experience through which a new notion of history and time was articulated. Because monumental architecture was built on top of the existing matrix of the former capital and Seoul was transformed into a living depository of heterogeneous discursive sediments, this presentation will excavate these sediments as a method of history writing and explore the material and immaterial layers of urbanity to reveal how colonial subjects engaged with, and frequently undermined, the visual regime of Japanese colonialism.

Speaker

Se-Mi Oh is Assistant Professor of Modern Korean History in the Department of Asian Languages and Cultures at the University of Michigan. Her research focuses on the architectural and urban practices of Seoul and explores the relationship between space and history writing. She is the author of City of Sediments: A History of Seoul in the Age of Colonialism (Stanford University Press, forthcoming), which examines the relationship between language, text, and media to trace the discursive formation of modernity and colonialism in the urban space of Seoul in the 1920s.

Moderator

Jisoo M. Kim is Korea Foundation Associate Professor of History, International Affairs, and East Asian Languages and Literatures. She currently serves as the Director of the Institute for Korean Studies and the Co-Director of the East Asia National Resource Center at GW. She also serves as the Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Korean Studies. She is a specialist in gender, law, and emotions in Korean history. Her broader research interests include gender and sexuality, crime and justice, forensic medicine, literary representations of the law, history of emotions, vernacular, and gender writing. She is the author of The Emotions of Justice: Gender, Status, and Legal Performance in Chosŏn Korea (University of Washington Press, 2015), which was awarded the 2017 James Palais Prize of the Association for Asian Studies. She is also the co-editor of The Great East Asian War and the Birth of the Korean Nation by JaHyun Kim Haboush (Columbia University Press, 2016). She is currently working on a book project tentatively entitled Sexual Desire, Crime, and Gendered Subjects: A History of Adultery Law in Korea. She received her M.A., M.Phil., and Ph.D. in East Asian Languages and Cultures from Columbia University.

GWIKS Special Event

Playing Korean Sanjo on the Violin

What is Korean Sanjo Music?

Performers

Moderator

“Cartography and Contraband Religion in Chosŏn Korea: Andreas Kim Taegŏn (1821-1846) and his Map of Korea“

About the Event

Speaker

Moderator

Korea Policy Forum

Trilateral Strategic Cooperation Beyond the Security on the Korean Peninsula

Speaker

Moderator

Syngman Rhee and the US-ROK Alliance

Conference in Commemoration of the 70th Anniversary of the US-ROK Alliance

& the 75th Anniversary of the Founding of the ROK

Event Description

Event Schedule

GWIKS Special Event

Minhwa, Marvelous Korean Folk Paintings

Speaker

Moderator

Book Launch Event​

South Korea’s Survival Strategy – Nakyon Lee’s Initiative

Speaker

Introductory Remarks

Moderator

North Korea Economic Forum

Virtual Panel Discussion

“Reviewing North Korea’s Progress on Reforms in Agriculture and Finance”

Event Agenda

Call for Papers and Panels 2023

The Annual North Korea Economic Forum Conference

Event Description

Speaker

Moderator

Book Launch Event