Today in Korea

Kyung Hee University’s “Kyung Hee University Future Compact”

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Kyung Hee University held a year-end party for faculty and students at the Peace Auditorium on December 21. The event, titled “Magnolia 2011” featured a very impressive music performance and the presentation of awards to outstanding faculty. The height of the event was the signing of a remarkable document entitled  “Kyung Hee University Future Compact”

There is no English version of this remarkable document

The preface reads:

“This is a road that did not exist before. The road before us is one that has never been traveled. Only after we have crossed over it will it be a road. Today our Kyung Hee University community members join hands to build a better common community and a university of dignity based on a spirit of communication, harmony, consideration and respectfulness.  For the first time since the founding of our Kyung Hee University faculty &  students  sign here together this “Kyung Hee University Future Compact” on a basis of mutual trust within the university.

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Korea Society of East Asian Comparative Literature awards prize to Emanuel (Korean)

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December 15, 2011

I had the great honor of receiving the Seokheon Scholarly Prize offered by the Korea Society of East Asian Comparative Literature. The prize was awarded in recognition of my recent study of Chinese novels in Japan: The Observable Mundane: Vernacular Chinese and the Emergence of a Literary Discourse on Popular Narrative in Edo Japan (Seoul National University Press, 2011). The Seokheon Scholarly Prize is awarded for the best study of comparative Asian literature published in Korea. The prize was established four years ago in honor of Professor Jung Kyubok (정규복 교수) of Korea University’s Department of Korean Literature. When I studied in Korea back in 1995, I attended many seminars held by the Korea Society of East Asian Comparative

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Interview with Emanuel in Tomato Magazine (July 2010, in Korean)

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Tomato is one of the most innovative journals in Daejeon, active in promoting theatre, film and art in the Daeheung District of old Daejeon. I spent a good amount of time there with my children back in our happy Daejeon days. The interview describes our website introducing Daejeon: “Daejeon Compass.” There is also a reference to my analysis of the most serious problem facing Korea: the gap in imagination.

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Make the Next President of KAIST a Woman! (article in Korean)

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Article arguing in Korean that the next president of KAIST should be a woman.

 

[기고]”KAIST의 여성 총장을 기대한다”

글 : 이만열 경희대학교 후마니타스 칼리지 교수

 KAIST(한국과학기술원·총장 서남표)는 대한민국 과학의 방향 및 방법의 선도자로서 중요한 역할을 맡고 있다. 지난 7년 동안 KAIST의 혁신은 대한민국의 혁신으로 재빠르게 이어졌다. 로버트 러플린 미국 스탠퍼드대 교수가 총장으로 임명됐을 때 KAIST는 새로 국제적인 전망을 제시하고 한국 연구기관의 국제적인 역할을 강조하면서 한국 교육제도에 적지않은 영향을 미쳤다. 또한 서남표 총장 부임 이후 KAIST 대학운영 및 교육개혁에 대한 국민적 공감대를 형성하는 계기도 마련했다.

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Luxury Magazine and the Strange Phenomenon of Magazines for the idle Rich (essay

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One of the most fascinating trends these days in Korea -which is paralleled in China and around the world- is the emergence of glossy magazines aimed at the super rich, or perhaps the want-to-be super rich, that are found in hotels,  airports, coffee shops and boutiques. I selected the magazine Luxury, but I could have presented any number of this form of magazine. These magazines feature advertisements for expensive watches, clothes and other items completely out of the range of most people. 

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Talk at Reception for the publication of “Sejong City” by Choi Minho

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I was invited to deliver a short talk on the occasion of the release of Dr. Choi Minho’s new book “Sejong City: A Fulfilling Life with Sophisticated Neighbors” (풍요로운 삶, 품격 있는 이웃, 세종) on December 3, 2011. Dr. Choi has worked for the last six months as director for construction for the new Sejong City and is a candidate for mayor of the city.

As an entirely new city in Korea that has a number of government ministries slated to move down over the next few years, the challenge of making Sejong City a successful project is great, as is the potential. It was Dr. Choi who invited me to come to Korea in 2006 to serve as assistant to the then governor Lee Wan-gu (who also gave a talk on this occasion).   Dr. Choi has been quite supportive of my efforts here in Korea and has displayed a remarkable concern for the arts and literature.

 

Panel on Cooperation in Energy, Transportation and Environment fields in Northeast Asia at Global Peace Convention

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The recent Global Peace Convention in Seoul (November 28-29, 2011) brought together a remarkably diverse group of individuals from NGOs, business and academics to discuss the future of North-South relations. The concept of addressing the North-South division by inviting the input of youth from around the world was particularly striking. See the introductory video for Global Peace Convention for a sense of the approach to North-South relations: 

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Asia Institute Seminar with Noam Chomsky (article in Korean)

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White Ink

December 5, 2011

노암 촘스키, ‘나꼼수’에 대해 말하다

위키트리 11.12.05 11:20 하얀잉크

나꼼수 미국원정길에 딴지건 한국정부 향한 노암 촘스키의 대답은?

“만약 이라크 특공대가 조지 부시의 집에 침투해 부시를 암살하고 그 시신을 대서양에 버렸다면 어떻게 반응할 것인지 우리는 자문해야 할지도 모른다”

오사마 빈 라덴이 사살되었던 지난 5월 축제 분위기에 휩싸인 미국사회에 일침을 가했던 지성인. 미국정부의 오사마 빈 라덴 사살은 계획된 살해이며 이것은 명백한 국제법 위반이라고 당당히 밝혔던 이가 바로 노암 촘스키(Noam Chomsky) 교수이다.

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