[KS] Winter 2005 issue_Korea Journal

[Korea Journal]

Dear Koreanists,

We are pleased to announce the publication of the winter 2005 issue of the KOREA JOURNAL. This issue consists of two special topics: “Whither the North Korean Nuclear Issue?” and “Positioning the Korean Wave in the Nexus between Globalization and Localization”. It also features an article dealing with a comparative study of Korea and Japan’s adoption of Protestantism.

1. Whither the North Korean Nuclear Issue?
Brought to the fore by George W. Bush’s “axis of evil” speech and complicated by North Korea’s disclosure of its uranium enrichment, the North Korean nuclear issue has created an unpredictable state of affairs in 21st century East Asia. Thus, KOREA JOURNAL has devoted space to fundamentally reviewing the North Korean nuclear issue, which has entered a new phase following the conclusion of the six party talks in September 2005. 
While offering an analysis of the negotiation between the United States and North Korean over the nuclear issue, Yun Dukmin points out that North Korean nuclear program can be seen as means for ensuring its survival but for bargaining chips in improving relations with the United States. Kim Keun-Sik seeks to uncover the North Korean motive for nuclear development by exploring the military-first principle that has dominated North Korean politics after the death of Kim Il Sung. The author expresses concern that this type of military-first politics, a logic supporting the intensification of the military and defense industry, could be utilized to support the development of nuclear weapons. Also, he adds that whether the North develops nuclear weapons or not depends on the United States. Presupposing that the nuclear issue is the most fundamental barrier to the security of the Korean peninsula, Lee Sang-Hyun presents policy suggestions as the building of mutual trust and South Korea’s positive role. Comparing the Clinton and Bush administrations’ North Korean policies, Park Kun Young points out that the U.S.’s hard-line policy toward the North largely stems from the Bush administration’s conservative diplomatic and security teams, and seriously evaluates the recent change in team members as a step toward solving the nuclear issue. Focusing on the relationship between the North Korean nuclear issue and East Asian regional order, Kim Taehyun examines the issue from domestic, regional and international perspectives, and emphasizes the need to build an international coalition led by the United States and the credible and realistic promise of rewards. (Paper titles are as follows.)

- Yun Dukmin (Institute of Foreign Affairs and National Security) / Historical Origins of the North Korean Nuclear Issue: Examining 20 Years of Negotiation Records
- Kim Keun-Sik (Kyungnam Univ.) / North Korea’s Nuclear Program: Its Rationale, Intentions, and Military-First Poltics
- Park Kun Young (Catholic Univ. of Korea) / Explaining the United States’ Approach to the North Korean Nuclear Disputes
- Lee Sang-Hyun (Sejong Institute) / North Korean Nuclear Crisis: Options for South Korea
- Kim Taehyun (Chung-Ang Univ.) / More Than Meets the Eye: What the North Korean Nuclear Crisis Portends for East Asian Security

Ⅱ. Positioning the Korean Wave in the Nexus between Globalization and Localization
Although its consumption has varied based on different national and cultural contexts, the Korean Wave, or hallyu, a term that refers to the feverish consumption and enjoyment of Korean popular culture in East Asia, has continued abated in 2005. It is   so influential that South Korea has been defining the tastes of many young people form clothes to hairstyles, music to television dramas in China. Naturally, varied research has been conducted to offer an analysis of many issues: Can we see actually the Korean Wave? or will it continue? Most research on the Korean Wave, however, has emphasized the universal superiority of Korean culture or the economic effect of the wave brings entirely based on economic perspective. Thus, KOREA JOURNAL devoted its pages to deeply look into the topic of the Korean Wave, while focusing on its significance for globalization and localization. Given that only a small amount of literature on the Korean Wave has been written in English until now, this issue will contribute to widening understanding of hallyu and facilitate further discussion on the issue in international academia.
While offering a discursive analysis of the Korean Wave, Cho Hae-joang defines the Korean Wave as transnational cultural exchange made against the background of the development of the cultural industry in the region. Cho imagines an Asian solidarity or Asian bloc based not on nationalism but on global imagination. Taking the Taiwanese consumption of Korean dramas as an example, Kim Hyun Mee reveals how the content and form of cultural products have been adapted to local realities and circulated as part of a so-called hybrid culture within East Asia. Kelly Fu and Kai Khiun Liew undercover another aspect of the Korean Wave that cannot easily captured by Korean scholars, arguing that the Korean Wave in Singapore has reinforced a sense of “Chineseness” among ethnic Chinese in Southeast Asia, rather than creating a deeper understanding of Korean culture. Shim Doobo, paying attention to the development of the Korean cinema industry and the appeal of Korean movies for other Asians, reads the possibility of an Asian solidarity through the Korean Wave in a globalized era. (Paper titles are as follows.)

- Cho Hae-Joang (Yonsei Univ.) / Reading the “Korean Wave” as a Sign of Global Shift
- Kim Hyun Mee (Yonsei Univ.) / Korean TV Dramas in Taiwan: With an Emphasis on the Localization Process
- Kelly Fu Su Yin and Kai Khiun Liew (London Univ.) / Hallyu in Singapore: Korean Cosmopolitanism or the Consumption of Chineseness?
- Shim Doobo (National University of Singapore) / Globalization and Cinema Regionalization in East Asia

Ⅲ. Article
Andrew Eungi Kim examines the Korean and Japanese adoption of Protestantism during the end of the 19th century and the early 20th century. He argues that the differential reception among the two stemmed from differences in the political, social, and cultural climates, such as political stability, views of traditional religion, and missionary activity, rather than from religious factors.

Andrew Eungi Kim (Korea Univ.) / Protestantism in Korea and Japan from the 1880s to the 1940s: A Comparative Study of Differential Cultural Reception and Social Impact



Korea Journal

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