<html><head></head><body><div class="ydp3d95a422yahoo-style-wrap" style="font-family:Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;font-size:13px;"><div dir="ltr" data-setdir="false"><div>
<p class="ydp2a13c2Text" style="line-height:150%"><span lang="EN-US">Dear List members,</span></p>
<div class="ydp2a13c2Text" style="line-height:150%"><span lang="EN-US"> </span><span lang="EN-US">we
regretfully announce the passing of a doyen of Czech Korean studies, Jaroslav
Bařinka, at the age of 89. A witness to the long twentieth century and a
dedicated scholar, Jaroslav Bařinka<span>
</span>studied Korean language in Prague under Han H</span><span lang="EN-US">ŭ</span><span lang="EN-US">ngsu (1909-?) and since 1950 in the
newly established Korean studies department at Charles University</span><span lang="EN-US">. </span><span lang="EN-US">His career included numerous stays
in the DPRK, where he continued his research on historical topics under the
guidance of Hong Kimun (1903-1992) and other luminaries of North Korean
academia. Later, he served as a career diplomat and participated in the establishment
of diplomatic relations between Czechoslovakia and the Republic of Korea after
1989. Following his retirement he taught a small, but dedicated, circle of
disciples at Charles University and continued his research until his last
moment. Never satisfied with the results, he rarely published his findings but
his <i>Art of Ancient Korea</i> (1962,
together with photographer Werner Forman) documenting North Korean art
treasures from local museums is considered to be a classic and his wonderful
Czech translation of Kim Sisŭp</span><span lang="EN-US">’</span><span lang="EN-US">s <i>Kŭmo sinhwa</i> from 1975 still
shows his many talents. There are many materials left by him on diverse topics like Jurchen
epigraphy or destroyed monasteries in the DPRK, which will be surely studied
further. However, his biggest legacy to follow is an answer and example to the dilemma
faced by many scholars of twentieth-century Eastern Europe: how to live a clean
life under difficult circumstances.</span>
</div><p class="ydp2a13c2Text" style="line-height:150%"><span lang="EN-US"> </span><span lang="EN-US"></span><span lang="EN-US">Vladimír Glomb (Senior Researcher at Freie Universität Berlin) and</span><span lang="EN-US"> Miriam Löwensteinová (Head of the Department of Korean Studies at
Charles University Prague)</span>
</p></div><div><br></div></div></div></body></html>