Category Archives: Korea

Reading Korea in Rhythm

‘Reading Korea in Rhythm’ is a new series where I bring the most notable Korean compositions – songs or poems, that not only enrich us with their literary or musical value but also unpack some of the most intriguing accounts from Korea’s past and present. I believe it would be of great interest to all of us who are are into this fascinating world of Korean and East Asian affairs, as student, diplomat, journalist, business or media professional. If you have any reflections, feedback or suggestions on the series or specific episodes, please feel free to let me know. And I would highly appreciate if you could subscribe to the youtube channel and share with those interested in Korean/Asian affairs.

In this 2-part series, I introduce 눈물젖은 두만강 or Tear-drenched Duman River, a classic soulful composition that enables us to make sense of this labyrinth of irreparable loss, heart-wrenching human sufferings, and the healing power of poetry against the background of geo-politics in the region.

Episode 1 – Introduction https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Zoga…

Episode 2 – 눈물젖은 두만강 or Tear-drenched Duman River (with Hindi Translation) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i3szc…

Based on these two episodes, a webinar is planned tentatively by the end of June 2021 to share afterthoughts on ‘Significance of Duman Area in the Current Global Politics in East Asia’. Participants’ panel will be invited based on their insights in the comment section. If you are a Korea enthusiast and would like to join the panel or as audience, email us at xanzai(at)yahoo.com

Dr. S. Sharma https://www.linkedin.com/in/drssharma/

Indian Queen Huh and Korean King Kim Suro

According to Sam Kuk YuSa, and old history book of Korea, Queen Huh (aka Princess Suriratna ), wife of King Kim Suro who founded the ancient Karak (Gaya) kingdom, was born in the city of Ayodhya in India. Huh was a princess of the kingdom of Ayodhya. Her father, the king of Ayodhya, on receiving a divine revelation, sent her on a long sea journey to the Karak kingdom in Southern Korea to marry King Kim Suro.

Asian Beauty Industry

Cameron Russell admits she won “a genetic lottery”: she’s tall, pretty and an underwear model. But don’t judge her by her looks. In this fearless talk, she takes a wry look at the industry that had her looking highly seductive at barely 16-years-old.

Korea has a Population of 48 million people with many of those living in the city of Seoul. While most people use public transit, such as the subway, public image and appearance is very important, especially for women. Hear what Korean women have to say about image and beauty in Korea and why women’s appearance is so important.

36-24-36″ as a description of feminine beauty. It not only quantifies the measurements of women’s body, but also sets a construct of the ideal beauty & function of women in our society. This construct then in turn is used by the media & industry as a means & an end to communicate & sell products. This documentary examines this construct of ideal feminine beauty & it’s social, psychological & political effects both locally & globally.

이제는 말할수 있다

Singing Park Chung Hee [박정희대통령 노래]

Park Chung Hee’s driver’s account [박정희 대통령 운전사의 잊을 수 없는 기억]

이제는 말할수 있다 : 육영수와 문세광 문세광을 이용하라

문세광의이 쏜 마지막 탄환은 육영수 여사를 맞혔는가?
– 총성, 화면분석 전격 공개!
‘배후의 인물’ 김호룡, 30년만의에 만나 단독 인터뷰
-“나는 배후가 아니다”
경찰 책임자와 청와대 경호관의 증언 -“장관을 만나러 온 사람”?
문세광의 가족과 친구들의 증언-“오사카 요주의 인물 1호 문세광”
사건 당일날 중앙정보부는 문세광을 알고 있었다
– 당일 중정 기록 공개!

대통령의 그날

Asia Strategy: Asian Firms

FROM REGIONAL TO GLOBAL PLAYERS: THE EMERGENCE OF ASIAN FIRMS IN THE GLOBAL ECONOMY

In this lecture, Henry Wai-chung Yeung will aim to explain how a number of leading business firms from Asian newly industrialized economies (NIEs) of Hong Kong, Singapore, South Korea, and Taiwan are articulated into global production networks and become major players in their respective market niches. Drawing upon a triangular analytical framework and original empirical data, he will seek to explain the complex relationships between the dynamic articulation of these leading Asian firms into different global production networks and their simultaneous upgrading from typical followers to market leaders. He will argue that the interplay between corporate strategies and home base advantages within the context of changing global production networks can offer a better explanation of the differentiated competitive outcomes of these Asian firms. He will conclude the lecture with some implications for theory and policy in relation to corporate development in Asian economies.

 

Movies: Primer

HERO (China)

TOKYO STORY (Japan)

Tokyo Story (東京物語 Tōkyō Monogatari?) is a 1953 Japanese film directed by Yasujirō Ozu. It tells the story of an aging couple who travel to Tokyo to visit their grown children. The film contrasts the behavior of their biological children, who are too busy to pay them much attention, and their daughter-in-law, who treats them with kindness. It is often regarded as Ozu’s masterpiece, and has twice appeared in Sight & Sound magazine’s ‘Top Ten’ list of the greatest films ever made.

RASHOMON (Japan)

Globalization: Global Governance

Interesting reads:

Financial Architecture in East Asia

ASIA: Regaining the economic dominance it enjoyed a millennium ago

ASIA’S RISE IN 2050

THE ARCHITECTURE OF ASIA

INET’s Conference at Bretton Woods on April 10, 2011

Joseph Stiglitz is a Professor at Columbia University

Charles Dallara is the Managing Director of the Institute of International Finance

Y.V. Reddy is the Former Governor of the Reserve Bank of India

Yasheng Huang is Professor of Political Economy at the MIT Sloan School of Management

Brad Delong is a Professor of Economics at the University of California, Berkeley

Yu Yongding is the Director of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences

Question and Answer Discussion session from INET’s Conference at Bretton Woods, with participants including Paul Blustein, Joseph Stiglitz, Charles Dallara, Y.V. Reddy, Yasheng Huang, Brad Delong, and Yu Yongding

ASIA’S STRATEGIC PARTICIPATION IN THE G-20 FOR GLOBAL ECONOMIC GOVERNANCE REFORM

PIIE Director C. Fred Bergsten speaks at an event cohosted by the Peterson Institute for International Economics (PIIE) and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) on April 25, 2011. The event was held to assess the accomplishments of the G-20 summit in Seoul in November 2010 and to release the ADB-PIIE report “Reshaping Global Economic Governance and the Role of Asia in the Group of Twenty.” Bergsten’s presentation was followed by a speech by Iwan J. Azis, Head of the Asian Development Bank’s Office of Regional Economic Integration (OREI).