[KS] Publication Announcement: Korea Journal, vol. 50, no. 2

[Korea Journal]

Dear list members, 
 
We are pleased to announce the publication of Korea Journal, vol. 50, no. 2. This issue contains five articles on the topic of “The Language and Writing of Ancient Korea,” along with two papers selected from submitted papers through rigorous peer review by the journal’s editors and guest reviewers, in addition to one book review.
The first paper by Kim Byung-Joon discusses the role of the Lelang commandery in the process of introducing Chinese characters into Korea. The author notes that particular examples of Chinese characters that developed later into Korean idu are confirmed in official Qin and Han documents and highlights the Lelang people’s use of Chinese characters in the context of its public administration system. 
Chung Jaeyoung’s paper examines Korea's ancient writing system based on newly discovered wooden tablets and written materials transcribed in gakpil. It explores how the word transcription of proper nouns and sentence transcription in idu, gugyeol, and hyangchal originated and evolved in ancient Korea. 
Kim Young Wook’s paper examines hyangchal and hyangga, ancient writing systems of the Korean language that used Chinese characters, with a focus on how to interpret hyangga texts. The paper presents hyangchal, which employed various characters to represent vowels and consonants, as a unique annotation method invented by Silla.
The fourth paper by Yoon Seon-tae examines how idu, a writing system that represented the ancient Korean language by borrowing Chinese characters, was created. Through analysis of existing epigraphs and newly found wooden tablets, the paper critically scrutinizes the hypothesis that idu originated in Goguryeo or Baekje and highlights Silla’s role in the culmination of idu’s evolution. 
Kwon In-han’s paper examines the current status of research on the old wooden tablets in Korean linguistic circles. Centered on a comparison of two early wooden tablets discovered in Korea and Japan, the paper investigates the exchange of writing systems in the three East Asian countries in terms of the development of borrowed Chinese characters, character forms and handwriting styles, and the history of development of writing, with a focus on the adoption and adaptation of Chinese characters and writing.
 
This issue’s contents are as follows: 
 
Special Topic: The Language and Writing of Ancient Korea
 
CHUNG Jaeyoung / [On This Topic] The Language and Writing of Ancient Korea
 
KIM Byung-Joon / The Introduction of Chinese Characters into Korea: The Role of the Lelang Commandery
 
CHUNG Jaeyoung / The Use of Chinese Characters in Ancient Korea: With a Focus on Texts Transcribed with Chinese-Borrowed Characters 
 
KIM Young Wook / A Basic Understanding of Hyangga Interpretation
 
YOON Seon-tae / The Creation of Idu
 
KWON In-han / The Evolution of Ancient East Asian Writing Systems as Observed through Early Korean and Japanese Wooden Tablets
 
 
ARTICLES
 
KU Daeyeol / The Failure of Baekje's Prudential Diplomacy:
Revisiting the Samguk sagi from an International Relations Perspective
 
Brain E. ADAMS / The Democratic Benefits of Devolution: A Comparison of South Korea and the United States
 
 
BOOK REVIEW
 
HAN Hyeong-jo / A Glimpse into Our Ancestors' Inner Life
 
 
We would like to take this opportunity to remind list members that we welcome any submissions relevant to the field of Korean Studies. 
 
Best regards,
 
Korea Journal
Tel: 82-2-755-6224/6225
Fax: 82-2-755-7477
Web site: www.ekoreajournal.net