The third of this season’s free seminars at SOAS: How does the rise of moral didactic literature fit into narratives of North Korean history? Andre Schmid (University of Toronto) Date: 16 November 2012 Time: 5:15 PM Venue: Russell Square: College Buildings Room: G50 Abstract How to be a good socialist subject? After the Korean War … [Read More]
Category: History (page 13)
Book review: Yi Mun-yol — Our Twisted Hero
Yi Mun-yol: Our Twisted Hero Originally published 1987 Translated by Kevin O’Rourke Available on Kindle (Minumsa, 2012) or hard copy (Hyperion Books, 2001) Moving to the provinces from a school in Seoul in which the social hierarchy was one he had lived with all his life, our twelve-year-old hero Han Pyongt’ae is faced with a … [Read More]
2012 Travel Diary #19: Beopgyesa Temple and those Japanese feng-shui stakes
Beopgyesa Temple (법게사) is the highest in Sancheong County and at least the third-highest in Korea. The good people of Sancheong believe that Beopgyesa is the highest temple in South Korea, a claim which is supported by Beopgyesa’s entry on the Cultural Heritage Administration website, where the following text is to be found: “It is … [Read More]
SOAS public workshop: State Capitalism and Development in East Asia
A free all-day seminar sponsored by the Centre of Korean Studies at SOAS: State Capitalism and Development in East Asia Speakers Jeong Seongjin (Gyeongsang National University) Lee Jeong-koo (GNU) Gareth Dale (Brunel University) Jamie Allinson (University of Westminster) Owen Miller (SOAS, University of London) Tuesday, 6 November 2012, 10am-5pm Room B111, First Floor, Brunei Gallery, … [Read More]
Vladimir Tikhonov at SOAS: “Heroes” in Qing China and Korea late C19 / early C20
The second of the autumn series of Korean studies seminars at SOAS: “Heroes” in Qing China and Korea in the late nineteenth to early twentieth century Vladimir Tikhonov (Oslo University) Date: 19 October 2012 Time: 5:15 PM Venue: Russell Square: College Buildings Room: G50 Abstract Both Liang Qichao (1873-1929) and Sin Ch’aeho (1880-1936) were instrumental … [Read More]
2012 Travel Diary #16: Silla pagodas, Korea’s first beautiful village, and Nammyeong’s tomb
Sancheong, Gyeongsangnam-do, Thursday 29 March 2012. Today is the day we start the ascent of Jirisan, but first there’s a couple of local sites of interest that I need to visit. First, the two Unified Silla dynasty stone pagodas, which are now the only remnants of Dansoksa, a temple built in the middle of the eighth … [Read More]
When I give birth to the child in me, who should it call father?
This rather beautiful letter, from a pregnant widow to her dead husband in 16th century Andong, has be out there for a while, but has just resurfaced in the blogopshere courtesy of Letters of Note. Do give it a read there, or in the earlier article in archaeology.org. The letter was found on her husband’s … [Read More]
59th anniversary of armistice day
Good to see General Paik Sun-yup looking well at the Panmunjom ceremony today, commemorating the signing of the Korean War armistice on 27 July 1953 Links: Remembering the Forgotten War: LKL interviews Gen Paik Sun-yup, 21 July 2009 [Read More]
2012 Travel Diary #14: Mugwort pancakes and bronze age dolmen
Tongyeong and Sancheong, Gyeongsangnam-do, Wednesday 28 March 2012. It’s time to leave Tongyeong, and head off to Sancheong, where I have happily spent much of my time in Korea in recent years. We set off along the main Tongyeong to Seoul expressway, which passes alongside the Gyeonghogang river and thus cuts through the heart of Sancheong … [Read More]
Gumok, a new musical at the Chelsea Theatre
News of an interesting new musical getting an outing for one day only later this month in Chelsea, featuring the stories of the Korean Comfort Women: Gumok Date: 30th June, 2012 Place: Chelsea Theatre (SW10 0DR) Time: 5pm and 8pm Price: Pay what you like (min. £1) Project Team Gumok presents a new musical “Gumok” … [Read More]
2012 Travel Diary 9: Yun Isang — Victim of the Cold War
Tongyeong, Gyeongsangnam-do, Monday 26 March 2012. For most big Korean cultural events there’s a glossy brochure with a welcome message from various officials and dignitaries. And for the most important events you might expect a welcome message from the Minister of Culture. It is a measure of the sensitivity of the Tongyeong International Music Festival’s … [Read More]
2012 Travel Diary 7: Yi Sun-shin — military genius, hero, poet
Tongyeong, Gyeongsangnam-do, Monday 26 March 2012. The brief ferry ride from Tongyeong to Hansando traverses the sheltered sound where Admiral Yi Sun-shin won a famous victory over the Japanese navy on 14 August 1592. On the day I crossed, it was difficult to imagine the tumult of a battle in which 47 Japanese ships were … [Read More]
2012 Travel Diary 6: Tongyeong harbour
Tongyeong, Gyeongsangnam-do, Monday 26 March 2012. It’s another beautiful, crisp spring morning. The sea is calm, the sky is cloudless, but the temperature out of the sun is not far above freezing. The light is perfect for a few early photographs of the view from the hotel and from its waterside terrace, though it’s tricky … [Read More]
2012 Travel Diary 4: Walking the palace trail with the RASKB
Seoul, Sunday 25 March 2012. It’s a cold, sunny morning, like the day before. I’ve booked myself on a walking trip of Seoul’s palace area, courtesy of the Royal Asiatic Society, Korea branch. We’re due to meet outside the Deoksu Palace at 9am, hence in part my reluctance to over-indulge the previous evening. It’s a … [Read More]
Ancient Silla dog breed to be listed as heritage
The Donggyeong dog breed – thought to be Korea’s oldest – is to be listed as a natural monument, joining the Jindo (a hunting dog) and the Sapsal (apparently effective for keeping ghosts away) http://bit.ly/IlE3EK [Read More]
Korean Naval Firepower Part 1 – When Wako Attack
The Battle of Lepanto, wherein the allied forces of Venice, Genoa, and Spain overcame the Turks by means of a superior number of cannons, was a turning point in naval history in the West. Dominance of the sea enabled countries such as the Netherlands and England to play a dominant role in world affairs. The … [Read More]