News – GW Institute for Korean Studies

2017 GWIKS Korean Literature Essay Contest Award Ceremony

November 30, 2017April 1, 2020NewsLeave a Comment

On November 10, the Institute for Korean Studies hosted its first award ceremony for the 2017 Korean Literature Essay Contest. The winning essayists, prestigious judges, and faculty were invited.

Director Jisoo M. Kim started the event with a warm welcome and opening remarks. She congratulated the finalists for a wonderful job on their essays and expressed gratitude for the reviewers You-me Kim and James Mattson. Afterwards, Prof. Young-key Kim-Renaud gave a brief presentation on the plot and translation of Han Kang’s Man Booker International Prize winning novel The Vegetarian. Her presentation focused on the growing global awareness of Korean literature, noting that The Vegetarian played a pivotal role in further extending that scope of recognition. Prof. Kim-Renaud described the major themes of the narrative as a violent struggle against violence. Furthermore, on the topic of Deborah Smith’s English translation of the book, Prof. Kim-Renaud praised Smith’s ability to convey the tone of Kim’s novel but also pointed out the mistakes in her translation work.

Prof. You-me Park, a professor at Georgetown University, offered her insights as to how she had decided on her top essays. Her remarks opened with a famous quote by Leo Tolstoy: “All happy families are alike; each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.” Firstly, Prof. Park noted that many of the best essays were alike in the sense that they all shared an intellectual curiosity as well as a sense of humility and respect for the work. Overall, the best essays recognized the author’s despair at the violence, a difficult feat for the essayists considering how hard it is for students to grasp the difference in culture in the novel. Prof. Park concluded with her thoughts on the Western audience’s reception of the novel and the ways in which many Western readers failed to notice the political message in the narrative. In particular, she found that the co-optation of Western audiences of Korean novels as narratives of racialized sexual violence to be highly problematic. She urged writers to take careful consideration of the cultural differences when analyzing Korean literature.

The award ceremony took place at the end with Director Jisoo Kim announcing the winners, and Prof. Kim-Renaud presenting the award certificates and prizes. The third place winners Gloria Han and Ho Young Choe each received a Samsung Galaxy View; second place winner Nancy Chung received a Samsung Tab S3; and first place winner Eric Kenney received a Samsung Notebook 9.

The GWIKS Korean Literature Essay Contest is an annual event that encourages students to engage in Korean literature. The 2017 GWIKS Korean Literature Essay Contest was sponsored by the Literature Translation Institute of Korea.

Robert Ogburn: “Tales from the Motherland: Korea and the Power of Small”

November 30, 2017July 29, 2021Archived Events, NewsLeave a Comment

On November 16, 2017, GWIKS and the Institute for Public Diplomacy and Global Communication co-sponsored an event to welcome Robert Ogburn, former Minister-Counselor for Public Diplomacy at the U.S. Embassy in Seoul, and to hear his experience working in South Korea. He shared how the U.S. and South Korea’s perceptions of each other have changed over time and what he meant about “power of small” regarding South Korea. The U.S. view of South Korea has come a long way since “M.A.S.H.” and South Korea’s inward focus of the 1980s has given way to a global outlook in the 2000s. This transformation was driven by failure, flexibility, and fuel. By embracing the idea of “glorious failure,” Koreans bounce back after taking risks and develop new ideas, fueled by their strong work ethic.

During his most recent tour in Seoul, Mr. Ogburn’s message was to embrace failure while being resilient. Examples include the a man who created a prosperous leather goods shop after losing his first store and becoming homeless, the Seoul National University Professor who encourages young women and North Korean defectors to study engineering, and the female leaders of Daum and Naver blazing a trail for women in business.

Mr. Ogburn noted that Koreans are very focused on their identity, and while Americans find their identity in what they do, Koreans find their identity in just being Korean. Korean identity is changing and expanding, as Koreans embrace immigrants and people like NFL player Heinz Ward. During the question and answer session, GWIKS Director Jisoo Kim noted that the idea of Korea as “a shrimp among whales” is not ancient but emerged in the 20th century, and Mr. Ogburn said this is even more reason for South Korea to see its small size as a strength.

GWIKS Lecture Series: Charles Kim “Cold War Culture in Postcolonial South Korea”

November 8, 2017July 29, 2021Archived Events, News, Soh Jaipil Lecture SeriesLeave a Comment

“Cold War Culture in Postcolonial South Korea”

Charles Kim is Associate Professor in History Department at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He joined us on November 2, 2017, to talk about his new book Youth for Nation: Culture and Protest in Cold War South Korea. His book explores the South Korean transition period from post-Korean war to Park Chung Hee era, and traces the construction of national identity, which was necessary with the postcolonial nation-building process. During this period, South Koreans were easy to mobilize, making it possible for the Park regime to implement anti-communist ideological training.

Youth for Nation is divided into two big parts: “student vanguard” and “wholesome modernization”.

“Student Vanguard”

The youth were privileged groups that symbolized hope for the new nation, and were targeted for instilling nation-centered ideology. They served as model patriotic subjects for other countries. As the students were seen as a protected group, the protests that occurred against the dictatorship often used students as vanguards to decrease the level of suppression. Though, it was true in many cases, leaders of the demonstrations were students themselves.

The students received two types of education. The everyday form of education taught students to be dutiful national citizens. On the other hand, the extraordinary form taught them to become combative and to question the corruption of the ruling classes as they were referred to the anti-Japanese movement on March 1^st, 1919. South Korean youth were able to develop a unique Cold War-period South Korean national identity that has left remnants on the public to this day.

“Wholesome Modernization”

There was a huge influence of Euro-American culture at the time in South Korea as well as a movement towards modernization. With the emphasis of developmental happiness, the modernization in South Korea was fast-paced but also wholesome. It taught people about the romance of delayed gratification. This type of modernization allowed Park Chung Hee’s National Citizens Reconstruction Movement (1961-1964) and, following that, the Saemaeul Undong (New Community Movement) to successfully take place. These political initiatives focused on the improvement of basic living conditions and environment in South Korea through frugal lifestyles and having all South Korean citizens collaborate on rural development projects.

Kim ended his talk by identifying some traces of the “wholesome modernization” in the current days of South Korea. He said that the candlelight protests in 2016-2017 against Park Geunhye’s presidency was done in a peaceful way and reflected good citizenship. For instance, a high number of people who participated in the demonstration for their country also made sure to clean up after themselves when the protests ended. There is also an ongoing TV show called “Master of Living” that shows people who become experts in a seemingly mundane everyday chore or work (i.e. stamping labels, stacking tires, etc.) by diligently mastering their skill for several years. This reflects the developmental happiness and delayed gratification that is embedded in the culture during the Cold War era in South Korea.

We highly recommend Charles Kim’s Youth for Nation: Culture and Protest in Cold War South Korea for readers interested in twentieth-century Korea, Cold War cultures, social movements, nation identity-building, or democratization in East Asia. We also hope you enjoy this movie that reflects the Cold War era in South Korea. The Love Marriage.

Written by Ann Yang

September 22: GWIKS Summer Study Abroad Panel

September 25, 2017July 29, 2021Archived Events, NewsLeave a Comment

The 2017 GWIKS Summer Study Abroad Panel began with an information session delivered by program instructor Prof. Jisoo Kim who gave a brief overview of the program’s aims and goals. The theme of this year’s summer program was “Exploring the Two Koreas”. Students visited various sites in South Korea to explore and use Korea as a lens to explore topics such as identity, division, reunification, and economic difference. Students were able to trace transnational processes of modernization, imperialism, colonization, and neoliberalism as they relate to Korean identity and culture. Prof. Miok Park, also a program instructor, attended the event to greet the audience and welcome back program participants, some of whom were inspired to join the program after taking one of her courses. Exchange students from South Korea were also invited to mingle with GW students interested in Korean studies.

Participants of the two-week program returned to present their research based on their experience in South Korea. The panel consisted of three exceptional students: Stephanie Sanders; Eric Rowe; and Noel Elizabeth Jiyu Xie. Stephanie’s presentation “Education and power in the Koreas” focused on how education was used in the two Koreas. Using social transformation theory and social reproduction theory as a theoretical framework, Stephanie compared the impact of education in both South Korea and North Korea. Stephanie noted that while education has greatly empowered the lives of South Koreans, it can also be used as a tool of political propaganda as was the case during the Chun Doo-hwan regime and in the everyday life of North Koreans. Eric’s presentation “Resilience: The Story of Korea” focused on the various sites he had visited, many of which he associated with the resilience of Koreans. Places such as Gyeongbokgung Palace, the War Memorial of Korea, DMZ, and the Constitution Court of Korea represent Korea’s history of resilience and perseverance, of difficult times and the strength to rebound. Finally, Noel’s presentation “The Culturalization of Politics and Power” took a critical theory approach in order to examine issues regarding human rights, gender gap, and liberal communism in relation to large conglomerate companies such as LG and Samsung. In addition, Noel points various social practices and phenomena to demonstrate how soft power currencies operate in South Korea.

At the end of their presentations, each panelist shared how the Study Abroad Program had strengthened their interest in Korean studies and how they would incorporate their experience into their future studies and careers. Afterwards, Prof. Jisoo Kim presented an award for best research paper to Eric Rowe for his paper “The Relevance of Sports in North Korean Politics”. The event concluded with a reception where all attendees were able to engage in conversation about their mutual interest in Korean studies.

The GWIKS Summer Study Abroad Program is open to all current graduate and undergraduate students at the George Washington University who are interested in pursuing Korean studies. For more information, please visit https://gwiks.elliott.gwu.edu/summer-study-abroad-program/.

Written by Soo-Jin Kweon

book cover with American flag styled into an Asian dragon; text: Winning the Third World by Gregg Brazinsky

October 31, 2017: Winning the Third World Book Launch

September 25, 2017July 29, 2021Archived Events, NewsLeave a Comment

Winning the Third World:
Sino-American Rivalry during the Cold War

with Professor Gregg Brazinsky

Part of the Elliott School Book Launch Series

Tuesday, October 31, 2017
12:30 PM – 1:45 PM
The Elliott School of International Affairs
1957 E Street, NW, Lindner Family Commons, Room 602
Washington, DC 20052

Copies of Professor Brazinsky’s book will be available for purchase at the event.

Winning the Third World examines afresh the intense and enduring rivalry between the United States and China during the Cold War. Gregg A. Brazinsky shows how both nations fought vigorously to establish their influence in newly independent African and Asian countries. By playing a leadership role in Asia and Africa, China hoped to regain its status in world affairs, but Americans feared that China’s history as a nonwhite, anticolonial nation would make it an even more dangerous threat in the postcolonial world than the Soviet Union. Drawing on a broad array of new archival materials from China and the United States, Brazinsky demonstrates that disrupting China’s efforts to elevate its stature became an important motive behind Washington’s use of both hard and soft power in the “Global South.”

Gregg Brazinsky is deputy director of GW Institute for Korean Studies and associate professor of history and international affairs at the George Washington University. He specializes on U.S.-Asian relations. He is also the author of Nation Building in South Korea: Koreans, Americans, and the Making of a Democracy.

Link to Sigur Center for Asian Studies page.

or RSVP here.

2017 Summer Study Abroad Program

July 12, 2017July 29, 2021News, Summer Study Abroad ProgramLeave a Comment

GWIKS’s first two-week summer study abroad program in Seoul, South Korea ended on the 17th of June. The program was established to educate the students about the two Koreas with their identities, shared history, division, and economic differences. Under the instruction of Professor Jisoo Kim and Miok Pak, there were nine undergraduate and six graduate students that participated in this summer program. These participants were selected through a competitive application process as the program was designed to provide an opportunity for students who are pursuing Korean studies to visit Seoul and learn firsthand about the two Koreas.

This summer program was scheduled with site-visits that allowed the students to experience firsthand the history, culture, politics, economy, and society of the Koreans. On the first day, students explored the past of Korea by visiting Gyeongbok Palace and Bukchon Hanok Village. The Gyeongbok Palace was the main royal palace of the Joseon dynasty in the Korean Peninsula and was built in 1395. Bukchon Hanok village is a traditional village that is composed of remaining Joeseon houses that were preserved to show the 600-year-old urban environment.

The second day, the students learned about the Korean War by visiting the War Memorial of Korea in Yongsan and the National Museum of Contemporary History. The next day, DMZ (Demilitarized Zone) and JSA (Joint Security Area) were visited to learn further about the Korean war and the history of the divided country. JSA is the only part of the DMZ where both Korean forces face each other. It is used for diplomatic engagements between the two Koreas and is the only neutral area where free movement of both sides are allowed within its boundaries. To learn more about the inter-Korean relations, the students visited the Inter-Korean Transit Office in Dorasan and the Seodaemun Prison on the fourth day. The Dorasan Station is a railway station on the Gyeongui Line, which is the northernmost stop on South Korea’s railway line. Seodaemun Prison was where Japanese soldiers tortured and later executed Korean Independence Movement followers and currently is serving as a memorial to salute the Korean patriots. These visits later extended to a discussion about North Korean Human Rights Issues at Korea University as the university specially held a seminar for our students.

The fifth day continued the talk about North Korean Human Rights as the students visited the UN Human Rights Office located in Seoul. At the UN Human Rights Office, they met with Human Rights Officer Yunkyo Ahn and learned why the Office is located in Seoul instead of Pyongyang. After listening to Officer Ahn’s presentation, students had a Q&A session that allowed them to learn more in depth about human rights issue in North Korea. After the visit to the UN office, the students went to the Blue House Sarangchae for the hour English guide. Blue House is where the South Korean President resides and Sarangchae is an area that has exhibitions about Korean culture and the history of former presidents.

The weekends were opened for student’s independent traveling. The students submitted their travel plans for approvals from the instructors. Some students managed to leave the Capital City and others visited recommended tourist places in Seoul that were not included within the two-week schedule.

The program had a busy schedule the following week as well. It was composed of learning about the modern days of South Korea. On Monday, the students learned about business and economic growth in South Korea by visiting one of the biggest corporation groups in South Korea – LG. Later Samsung and SK-Telecom were also visited on Wednesday to follow up more about the economic growth in South Korea. The same Monday after the LG visit, the students visited the Constitutional Court of Justice to learn about the law in South Korea. They had the honor to meet with Judge Chang-ho Ahn to hear about the Constitutional law in South Korea firsthand.

To learn about the role of media in South Korea, the students visited the Korean Broadcasting System (KBS) Headquarter and attended a lecture about Korean wave. They also had the opportunity to attend a rehearsal of a Korean music program – Yu Heeyeol’s Sketchbook.

On Thursday, the students continued to explore the modern days and issues in South Korea, as they went to Hana Foundation to learn about the resettlement of North Korean refugees. Later they visited the Public Affairs office of the U.S. Embassy to hear a briefing about the work of public diplomacy in South Korea.

This marked the end of the well-rounded summer study abroad program regarding the two Koreas. The students actively attended seminars, briefings, discussions, lectures that were held at the sites they visited within the two weeks. Most of the evenings were re-capped with a wrap-up seminar back at the hotel. This two-week program ended with student’s portfolio presentations. (shared here) Students decided on their research topics and presented their research proposals, which will be completed back at the university. Please keep an eye out on their final research debrief during the Fall Semester!

Written by Ann Yang

Second Soh Jaipil Circle – Jai Kwan Jung

June 26, 2017July 29, 2021Archived Events, News, Soh Jaipil Circle on Contemporary Korean AffairsLeave a Comment

For our second SJP Circle meeting, we had Dr. Jai Kwan Jung present his working research: “Why Is There No Rebellion in North Korea?” Dr. Jung is an Associate Professor in the Department of Political Science and International Relations at Korea University. Prior to joining Korea University, he was an Assistant Professor of our own George Washington University in the Department of Political Science and the Elliott School of International Affairs. His research interests include political conflict and violence, party politics, and inter-Korean relations. He is now working on a book project on a comparative study of the North Korean Regime’s durability.

North Korea is the longest existing “non-monarchy dictatorship” country to have avoided any large scale rebellion. Therefore, a topic that explores possible explanations for this phenomenon is of interest to many scholars. In many other autocratic states rebellions are mostly started by elites with political grievances toward the inner circle. However, the North Korean regime was seen to have established an effective elite control system that prevents the well-educated elites from starting a rebellion. This talk provided empirical evidence regarding the elite control system in North Korea that was found by conducting in-depth interviews with high-ranking North Korean defectors.

Dr. Jung first examined the existing North Korea studies-related theories – Chuch’e ideology & supreme leader system, military first politics, and shadow economy – and proved how they weren’t fully explaining the reasons for not even having a small-scale rebellion since the 1990s. Even the academic answer – comparative authoritarianism – couldn’t explain how the collapse of the economy in North Korea still failed to bring about any rebellion. He sought to answer the question which other scholars or theories failed to fully answer. That is, “Why is there no rebellion in North Korea?”

The results of the qualitative research mainly focused on the elite control system in North Korea. One of the effective mean of controlling the elites was ideological control. The Chuch’e idealogy that emphasizes independence in politics, autonomy in the economy, and self-defense in the military worked well for the elite control in North Korea. However, there was skepticism that grew among elites, especially those with overseas experiences. The organizational control further explains the reason why North Korea didn’t see any rebelling organizations. The North Korean government executed “10 Principles” that strictly prohibited forming an organization or a voluntary association, which destroyed regional, family, school, and other social network ties. North Korea had no concept of social networks and didn’t have enough social capital for a rebellion to occur. The economic benefits for the inner elites were also seen as one of the main reasons that a rebellion didn’t occur. There was special distribution of goods and services for elites that made them satisfied with the current regime.

The conclusion of the talk was as follows:

As long as the elite control system functions properly as a whole, highly authoritarian countries like North Korea may avoid rebellion and a regime collapse.
There is a need to compare the elites’ perspective with other defectors’ perspectives to better assess the possibility of a regime collapse that may start from the bottom.
There is also the need to compare North Korea with other autocracies (e.g., Romania, Serbia, Libya) to figure out how elite schisms emerge and develop.

Written by Ann Yang

Congratulations to Dr. Gregg Brazinsky for launching his book “Winning the Third World”

June 12, 2017April 1, 2020NewsLeave a Comment

Dr. Gregg Brazinsky is the Acting Director of GW Institute for Korean Studies. His book “Winning the Third World: Sino-American Rivalry during the Cold War” was officially launched at the Wilson Center on May 8th, 2017. The full video of the talk at the book launch “U.S.-China Competition During the Cold War” can be found here.

In the book, Dr. Brazinsky examines afresh the intense and enduring rivalry between the United State and China during the Cold War. He shows how both nations fought vigorously to establish their influence in newly independent African and Asian countries. By playing a leadership role in Asia and Africa, China hoped to regain its status in world affairs, but Americans feared that China’s history as a nonwhite, anti-colonial nation would make it an even more dangerous threat in the postcolonial world than the Soviet Union. Drawing on a broad array of new archival materials from China and the United States, Dr. Brazinsky demonstrates that disrupting China’s efforts to elevate its stature became an important motive behind Washington’s use of both hard and soft power in the “Global South.” (Summary from the publication website introduction)

For more information about the book from the author, click here.

Congratulations to Professor Brazinsky!

Second Lecture Series – Yafeng Xia

April 12, 2017July 29, 2021Archived Events, News, Soh Jaipil Lecture SeriesLeave a Comment

Professor Yafeng Xia was invited as the second lecturer for the GW Institute for Korean Studies Lecture Series. This lecture attracted more than 70 people who are interested in the issues of Sino-North Korean relations. Yafeng Xia is currently a Professor of History at Long Island University in New York and Senior Research Fellow at Research Institute for Asian Neighborhood, East China Normal University in Shanghai. His lecture was about China’s policy towards North Korea during the Chinese Cultural Revolution from 1966 to 1969. He argues that despite the myth of the “brotherly affection” between China and North Korea, the relationship had reached its lowest ebb during the Cultural Revolution.

Yafeng Xia giving lecture next to projector in front of audience Yafeng Xia presenting to room full of audience

With the Cultural Revolution, China had radical and uncompromising policies both domestically and internationally. Chinese leaders accused North Korean leaders that they had become revisionists and the Red guards verbally attacked Kim Il Sung. North Korea also wasn’t shy with criticizing China’s leftist opportunism, dogmatism, and chauvinism. It was during that time when the economic and military aid that China was providing to North Korea was suspended, no high-levels visited mutually, and no cultural or economic agreements were signed. Though, he reemphasized the fact that both countries remained sensitive to the fragile relationship as China left North Korea alone from the Cultural Revolution and Kim Il-Sung never once criticized the Chinese leaders by name in public. There was also bilateral trade that continued between the two countries though limited.

With the examination of the historical relationship between the two countries during Cold War, Professor Xia provided three interpretations from different perspectives:

Geopolitical and ideological perspectives: During the Cold War, Mao Zedong and Kim Il Sung maintained asymmetric alliance relations as a big power and a small power. Except for the period during the Cultural Revolution, Kim Il Sung visited China almost every year but Mao never set foot on North Korea. Nonetheless, Kim ensured North Korea’s political and diplomatic independence.
Cultural traditions and diplomacy perspectives: Post-WWII Sino-North Korean relations were in the process of transformation from a suzerain/vassal state to a modern state-to-state relationship. It was a struggle between China’s concept of a suzerain/vassal state relationship and North Korea’s Juche ideology and resistance to flunkeyism.
Code of conduct and political norms perspectives: The Sino-North Korean alliance demonstrated the structural drawbacks of relations among socialist states. Politically, China, “the big brother of this socialist family”, believed that it had the right to interfere in the internal affairs of “other members of the socialist family”, North Korea. On the other hand, the “younger brother”, North Korea, could be capricious and act shamelessly, while the “big brother”, China, endured the humiliation in order to carry out the common mission.

The lecture ended successfully with a high participation and vigorous questions. This event brought a lot of interest as the Sino-North Korean relationship is a subject that is not as commonly studied. We thank Professor Xia for taking his time to share his studies with the GW students, GW faculty members, and other scholars in DC.

Written by Ann Yang

“The Emotions of Justice” received James B. Palais Prize

March 8, 2017April 1, 2020NewsLeave a Comment

We are proud to announce that Director of GWIKS, Professor Jisoo Kim, received the James B. Palais Prize for 2017 for her book “The Emotions of Justice”.

“The Emotions of Justice”

The Choson state (1392-1910) is typically portrayed as a rigid society because of its hereditary status system, slavery, and Confucian gender norms. However, The Emotions of Justice reveals a surprisingly complex picture of a judicial system that operated in a contradictory fashion by discriminating against subjects while simultaneously minimizing such discrimination. Jisoo Kim contends that the state’s recognition of won, or the sense of being wronged, permitted subjects of different genders or statuses to interact in the legal realm and in doing so illuminates the intersection of law, emotions, and gender in premodern Korea.

For more information, click here.

The James B. Palais Prize of the Association for Asian Studies is given annually to an outstanding scholar of Korean studies from any discipline or country specialization to recognize distinguished scholarly work on Korea.