Week 13: South Korea since 1988

Submit a blog post that is a 5-15 report. Your “Reading Journal” comprises the texts you read for Week 9, and anything you are reading for your Pressbooks Chapter project.

Remember to also add any tasks that are on your to-do list (not those scheduled for the whole class, but for you individually, e.g. sorting out a blog-related issue), and any open questions or issues you want to flag up for follow-up with me. These weekly reports are extremely useful for me to get an insight in how you’re working, what you make of the course and the materials, and how I can best support your learning and adjust the course.

TIP: for anything you’re not comfortable putting in a blog where others can read it, you can just drop me a message on discord OR post anonymously on the Padlet!

To prepare:

• Have your chapter set up in Google Docs (as far as you got to this point) so you can dive straight into Pressbooks and add your content!
• Consider if you want your chapter published with your personal name, or if you prefer an alias, or anonymous (all options are available)
• Revise your abstract and keywords, based on the rewriting and research you’ve done so far.

Time estimate: 30-45mins (a generous estimate I think)

No Random – only received four blog posts. Latecomers for this week will be added to next week’s randomizer!

• Post 1: Jenny’s Blog post
• Post 2: William’s Blog post
• Post 3: Eva’s Blog post
• Post 4: Kaya’s Blog post

Leave feedback, questions, thoughts, insights about the contents of the posts of your fellow students, using Hypothes.is group HST259. You can ask for clarifications, point out similarities and differences with the material you covered, or with your interpretation. This should encourage you to nose around in the other materials you did not read in the first round.

Use the “Architect’s Model” of giving feedback, and engage with concrete issues. Go beyond “Yeah, I agree,” “I like” or “I think the same”, and instead explain why you have that reaction, or if you disagree, you can try to persuade the original poster of your idea or interpretation.

Remember that Hypothes.is allows for hyperlinks, e.g. to materials that support your argument, or you can include pictures (memes! [yes, there she is again]), videos etc. that help the original poster to learn more.

TIP: It’s all random, and it’s all good, so if you return to this page after commenting, you will see four different posts. As long as your comments are on four different posts in total, you’re fine! OR you can right-click and ask your browser to open the link in a new tab/window.

Time estimate: 2-3hrs prep, 75 mins for the meeting

• A few slides to cover the distance between the previous South Korea class and this session (Gdrive link)
  • If you need more information, check the Seth textbook, chapter 15 (“1987: A political turning point” onwards) and chapter 16. (Trexler library copy or your own version)
• Kim, Nan. “Candlelight and the Yellow Ribbon: Catalyzing Re-Democratization in South Korea,” Asia Pacific Journal: Japan Focus 15: 14 (2017).
  • Link (you can also find a PDF on that page, top right corner)
  • The article may feel a bit dated in light of the most recent developments in global and geopolitics, so bear in mind it was written in 2017 when the world was a different place.
  • Yellow Ribbon song mentioned (Youtube) and the lyrics.
• “South Korea’s candlelight protests through the eyes of North Korean defector participants.” Daily NK Nov. 24, 2016.
  • Link to article
  • How did North Koreans who defected to the South see the massive rallies and protests of 2016?
• Park, Jong Dae. “Op-Ed: The Korean ferry accident 8 years ago took hundreds of lives. We still don’t know why it happened.” Los Angeles Times, April 15, 2022.
  • Link to article
  • Clearly the Sewol Ferry disaster has not yet been put to rest, and the families of the victims are dissatisfied with the way the government has (not) acted.

Optional extras (if you have time): middle-aged women in Korean society and economy:

• Cain, Sian. “What is it like to be a middle-aged woman? A son asked his mother – then wrote a comic.” The Guardian, Sept. 1, 2021.
  • Link to article
  • A Korean son asked his mother to keep a journal of her daily life, and he wrote a comic about her experiences, giving him a new appreciation for all she does and has to put up with.
• Choe, Sang-hung. “Yogurt Ladies’ of South Korea Deliver More Than Dairy.” New York Times, Nov. 14, 2020.
  • Link to article
  • Ajumma (middle-aged ladies) are a force to be reckoned with in Korean society, and the economy.

Submit a blog post that is a 5-15 report. Your “Reading Journal” comprises the texts you read for Friday’s class, and anything you may already have read in addition, e.g. for your Pressbooks Chapter project

Details to follow soon!