Thu, 25 June 2015
Once only a staple of American politics and of a few Western countries, think tanks have gained popularity worldwide for their role as policy advisors. South Korea is no exception and the past years have seen the establishment of a number of institutions in Seoul, such as the Asan Institute and the East Asia Institute. Yet while think tanks provide extensive research and useful advice to policy makers, critics have started to call into question their independence, their integrity and their usefulness. One of these critics is Professor Emanuel Pastreich who argued in a recent article that think tanks suffer from a number of shortcoming. At the same time, he asserted that Korea – and specifically Seoul – has the potential to become a hub for think tanks in East Asia. We sat down with him to discuss the ideological biases of think tanks, the inaccessibility to wider public of their debate, and the need to include the youth in the policy process. Professor Pastreich is Associate Professor at Kyung Hee University in Seoul. He received a B.A. in Chinese from Yale University, a M.A. in Comparative Literature from the University of Tokyo, and a Ph. D. in East Asian Studies from Harvard University. He taught previously at University of Illinois and George Washington University. In 2007 he established the Seoul-based think tank The Asia Institute, has advised regional government in Korea and published a number of studies on technology, the environment and international relations in multiple languages. |
Thu, 18 June 2015
While some may believe Starcraft II to be “just a video game”, it is one of the most famous titles played competitively by professional gamers. “eSports”, as the discipline is called, is a fast growing, dynamic and profitable industry with full-time players who regularly compete for six-figure prize money. Seoul has become a global hub for eSports, due to the presence of top-ranked players, a solid industry ecosystem, and large audiences eager to watch competitions live. eSports in Korea have become a cultural phenomenon in their own right: successful gamers have their own fan base and train like professional athletes, big companies are eager to sponsor teams and competitions, there are television channels devoted to live gaming and the government is actively promoting eSports abroad. Our guest for this episode, Nick Plott, is at the very center of eSports in Korea. A former professional StarCraft gamer in the United States, Nick moved to Seoul to work for the Korean broadcasting company GOMTV and became the first Western StarCraft commentator in the country. He and his co-caster Dan Stemkoski, known in the industry under the nicknames Tasteless and Artosis, are now considered the most famous eSports commenting duo in the world and have become major celebrities in their own right. Nick kindly agreed to talk to us about his work as a professional “caster”, the unique features of Korean video game culture and, of course, the rise of Seoul as a major hub for eSports worldwide. |
Sat, 13 June 2015
Despite South Korea’s economic development, and its status as a full member of the OECD group of nations, critics continue to denounce the conservative nature of the Korean society. As we mentioned here before, South Korea ranks very low in indexes measuring inequality between men and women (e.g. the Global Gender Gap Report, published by the World Economic Forum), alongside countries one would not necessarily associate Korea with (such as Qatar or Nigeria). Such rankings reflect tangible societal expectations, norms and behaviors that South Korean women are expected to embrace, but which they sometimes also resist or transgress. Our guest for this interview, Professor Aljosa Puzar, has dedicated much of his research to the coming of age of young women in Korea and the process he describes as their “dollification”. Professor Puzar argues that in terms of esthetics, behavior, and expected social roles young women are encouraged to become “dolls” – and to develop a femininity that does not threaten already established structures of patriarchy. Professor Puzar is Assistant Professor of Comparative Literature and Cultural Studies at the Underwood International College of Yonsei University. He completed a PhD in Literary Theory and History from the University of Rijeka, Croatia and recently obtained his second PhD in Critical and Cultural Theory from the University of Cardiff, under the title: “Coming of Age in South Korea: Ethnographies and Histories of Transgression”. Professor Puzar has authored and co-authored many books and publications and his writings have been featured in several academic journals, including the Journal of Current Cultural Research, Asian Women and Studies in Symbolic Interaction. |
Fri, 5 June 2015
South Korea’s recent affluence has sparked a renewed interest in the nation’s traditional arts and crafts, architecture, and music. Once keen to modernize at any cost, Koreans now pay serious attention to preserving their cultural heritage and promoting it both domestically and abroad. One aspect of traditional Korea experiencing a strong revival is the art of hanbok, the traditional Korean attire. The domestic industry has grown rapidly in the past decade, featuring up-and-coming professionals keen to marry Korean traditional style with modern fashion, as well as attracting Western designers and global brands always on the lookout for new fashion trends. Our guest for this episode is In Oh, a leading hanbok designer in Seoul. We talk about her work and inspiration, her customers and her dream of making the hanbok a modern, young and mainstream fashion item. Before opening her own workshop, Inohjudan, in the vicinity of one of Seoul’s traditional palaces, In Oh assisted famous hanbok masters and worked in the United States for several years. She attended Santa Monica College and studied fashion design at the Los Angeles Trade Technical College. |