[KS] Publication of the KOREA JOURNAL Summer 2007 Issue

신종범 kj at unesco.or.kr
Thu Aug 16 20:19:27 EDT 2007


Dear list members,

We are pleased to announce the publication of the summer 2007 issue of the KOREA JOURNAL. This issue features the special topic: “The ‘Religious’ in Contemporary Korean Culture.” It also includes five research papers produced across diverse disciplines. 

The “Religious” in Contemporary Korean Culture 

Three papers under the topic can be dubbed as a religious reading of the enthusiasm around the Internet, dieting, and education prevalent in contemporary Korean society. Although previous research in sociology, women's studies, and psychology have addressed the issue, it is not likely that they have fully explained the enthusiasm that is closely connected with what Koreans are devoted to, what they feel, and what they try to do to gain "salvation." Thus, the religious approach to those enthusiasms will contribute to understand contemporary Korean culture as a whole. 

First, Yoo Ki Bbeum, while interpreting explosive growth of the Internet as a Korean response to the advent of a risk society, points out that the Internet facilitates the propagation of the myth that one can be another being or live a better life by connecting through the Internet and enjoying consumption in cyberspace. Second, Park Sang Un gives attention to the myth of "Beauty will save you" prevalent among Korean women, and argues that this “salvation” against the backdrop of patriarchy and consumer society will contribute to making women more passive and dependent. Third, Lim Hyunsoo captures the parents' sacrificial attitude toward children's education, and demonstrates that the attitude has been greatly influenced by the Confucian theory of "salvation" that has persisted up to date. (Authors and titles are as follows:) 

Yoo Ki Bbeum (Korea Institute for Religion and Culture) / Looking for Salvation beyond a Risk-laden Reality: The Religious Nature of Korean Internet Culture 
Park Sang Un (Academy of Korean Studies) / "Beauty Will Save You": The Myth and Ritual of Dieting in Korean Society 
Lim Hyunsoo (Korea Institute for Religion and Culture) / A Religious Analysis of Education Fever in Modern Korea 

Other Articles 

Kim Keuntae, based on the household registers and land registers produced during the Joseon dynasty, shows the Joseon government's failure in fiscal policy and the resultant peasant rebellion during the late Joseon period. Ellen Goethem explores the status of descendant groups of the Baekje royal family and the difference in status among immigrant kinship groups during the Japanese Emperor Kanmu period. While examining the phenomenon of Korean remigration from Brazil, Joo Jong-Taick analyzes the role played by ethnicity and the economy when Korean remigrants adapt to Korean society. Kang Jung In examines the relationship between politics and truth by political philosophical reading of The Martyred by Richard E. Kim. Based on his study of primary sources, Kim Jinwung reveals that the U.S Army Government's rice policy in Korea was not successful. (Authors and titles are as follows:) 

Kim Kuentae (Sungkyunkwan Univ.) / Distinctive Characteristics of the Joseon Dynasty's Fiscal Policy in the Nineteenth Century 
Ellen Van Goethem (Ritsumeikan Univ.) / The Status of Descendants of the Baekje Kingdom during Emperor Kanmu's Reign 
Joo Jong-Taick (Soonchunhyang Univ.) / Korean Return Migrants from Brazil: Ethnic and Economic Aspects 
Kang Jung In (Sogang Univ.) / Politics and Truth: An Analysis of Richard E. Kim's Novel, The Martyred 
Kim Jinwung (Kyungpook National Univ.) / A Policy of Amateurism: The Rice Policy of the U.S. Army Military Government in Korea, 1945-1948

KOREA JOURNAL / A Policy of Amateurism
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