Event Tag Archives: Centre for Korean Research

Modern Times in North Korea: Scenes from the Founding Years

North Korea is often portrayed in mainstream media as a backward place, a Stalinist relic without a history worth knowing. But during its founding years (1945-1950), North Korea experienced a radical social revolution when everyday life became the primary site of political struggle, including quite deliberately a feminist agenda. With historical comparisons to revolutions in […]

The Scope of Foreign Engagement in the DPRK, 1995-2012

The Centre for Korean Research is pleased to present “The Scope of Foreign Engagement in the DPRK, 1995-2012” by Andrew Yeo (Catholic University of America). Abstract: What is the scope of foreign engagement inside the DPRK? What are the potential benefits and risks of engagement for various organizations operating inside the DPRK on one hand, and […]

Making Sense of a Worker Self-Immolation in 1970s South Korea

The death of young garment worker Chun Tae-il by self-immolation on November 13, 1970 has been widely acknowledged among both activists and scholars as the watershed event for the South Korean democracy movement and for the labor movement in particular.  As dissident activists searched for a viable counter-narrative against the powerful developmentalist discourse of the […]

Social Movements and the Political Polarization of South Korea and Taiwan

There has been a widespread perception that politics in South Korea and Taiwan have become increasingly polarized in recent elections. Are the electorates in both countries also polarized, and if so, what are the sources of this polarization? Visiting Scholar Hyunji Lee will briefly discuss some common causes of the recent social movements in both […]

South Korea’s Foreign Policy, Viewed from Inside vs. Outside

The presentation examines challenging security issues that the Republic of Korea face today including North Korea policy, future of ROK-U.S. alliance, relations with the PRC and Japan, re-unification of Korean Peninsula, and the roles of Global Korea. Several controversial and contending policy debates will be introduced with related illustrations and anecdotes. Also, a number of […]

70 Years of Division for the Korean Peninsula: Implications for Peace and Unification

The Centre for Korean Research, UBC and the Consulate General of the Republic of Korea are pleased to present: 70 Years of Division of the Korean Peninsula: Implications for Peace and Unification Date: Friday, November 20, 2015 Time: 3-5 p.m. Location: Room 120, C.K. Choi Building Speakers: Mr. Kie-Cheon Lee (Consul General, the Consulate General of […]

Discourses and Networks of North Korean Defector-Activists

Abstract The article aims to explain the evolutionary patterns of international discourses on North Korean human rights and the roles of ‘defector-activists’ played in the process. It analyses how individuals (North Koreans) build their professional networks in the new political environment (in South Korea) and connect with other international state- and non-state actors to constitute […]

From Imperial Engineers to Development Consultants: Japanese Engineers and the Post-Colonial, Cold War System of Development in South Korea

Until now, work on Japan’s colonial legacy of industrialization in Korea has focused on whether or not Japan laid the foundation to South Korea’s post-war economic growth. Much of this work, however, has largely been defined by a nation-based understanding of economic development (e.g. the “miracle on the Han” narrative), which either asserts discontinuity or […]

Film Screening & Discussion: “The Last Tear,” a Documentary About Comfort Women in Asia and Korea

This documentary feature film tells a story about sexual violence against women, yet most of its victims are silenced. One such sad episode is that of the “comfort women,” or more accurately, the estimated 200,000 women who were recruited to sexually serve the Imperial Japanese Army during World War II. As part of this immense […]

Counter-intelligibility in Recent South Korean Film

Dr. Hanscom will explore the possibility of understanding contemporary South Korean cultural production outside of a nationalist or culturalist framework of interpretation.  A reading of two recent films provides an opportunity to consider how art can formally convey a content that reflects or stems from its situation and at the same time can exceed the […]

Where Is Korea Going?: Thoughts From Korea’s Leading Philosopher

Dr. Young-Oak Kim 金容沃, popularly known as “Master Doh-ol 檮杌先生,” is widely considered as the leading contemporary philosopher in South Korea. Dr. Kim has sold over 3 million copies of his 75 monographs, making him the best-selling book author of all time. His works cover a wide array of topics, including philosophy, history, medicine, religion, […]

Environmental Anarchism: Agriculture and Social Renewal in Modern Korea

Abstract: Dr. Park will traces the rise of environmental consciousness and movements in South Korea after 1945. In particular, it locates the origins of environmentalism in rural South Korea with agricultural farming communities and cooperatives, such as Hansalim, leading the way. Forms of environmentalism arose in these communities as they responded to a process of […]

Hard Target: Sanctions, Inducements, and the Case of North Korea

Join Stephan Haggard, the Krause Distinguished Professor at the School of Global Policy and Strategy at the University of California San Diego, as he argues that both sanctions and engagement efforts have had little impact on the North Korean grand strategy, suggesting what would have to change for denuclearization and a broader settlement on the peninsula.

Bull in A China Closet?: Trump to Asia and US Policy on North Korea

Join Dr. Stephen Noerper as he explores the progression of North Korea’s security challenge since the end of the Cold War and the various tacks and turns of four US presidencies. In addressing the recent Trump trip to Asia, including his messaging on India-pacific unity and North Korea, Dr. Noerper will also examine US policy and potential next-steps toward negotiation.

Post-PyeongChang U.S.-Korea Relations: Back to the Normal or Worse?

Sponsored by the Centre for Korean Research and the Consulate General of the Republic of Korea “Post-PyeongChang U.S.-Korea Relations: Back to the Normal or Worse?” By: Dr. Sung-joo Han Former Minister of Foreign Affairs of South Korea         Welcome Remarks: Mr. Gunn Kim Consul General of the Republic of Korea     […]