Global Korea Project
The Global Korea Project is an interdisciplinary effort in the Morrissey College of Arts & Sciences to expand student engagement with the global dimensions of Korean history, politics, and culture. The Project hosts cultural events, academic lectures, and visiting diplomats on campus while promoting an array of Korea-related programs and courses. It was launched in Fall 2023 and is led by Prof. Ingu Hwang.
Key Activities
- Distinguished Lecture Series
- Culture and Diversity Programming
- International Student Engagement
Distinguished Lecture Series
Human Rights and Transitional Justice in Korea
October 03 , 2024
5:00 PM
In Person
Connolly House, Andover Room
Dr. Tae-Ung Baik, former Director of the Center for Korean Studies at the University of Hawaii, joins the Global Korea Project to discuss human rights and transitional justice in Korea with a focus on implementing UN Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance.
Abstract
South Korea is known for its comprehensive efforts to promote transitional justice. Various truth commissions dealing with past human rights violations and atrocities have been established including the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of the Republic of Korea. The issue of enforced disappearance has not been widely discussed in Korean context, but Korea is not an exception to the serious human rights problems. Many cases of enforced disappearances related to South Korea have been filed with UN mechanisms including cases of the POW in the 1950s, abductees in the 1960s and 1970s. South Korean National Assembly ratified the UN Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance (CED) in 2023. The CED ratification demonstrates that Korea is trying to follow international standards. However, the legislation of an implementation law is being delayed. The speaker will talk about South Korea’s efforts to deal with the past and key elements of the implementation legislation for CED to further transitional justice in Korea.
Dr. Tae-Ung Baik
University of Hawaii at Manoa
Dr. Tae-Ung Baik is a Professor at the William S. Richardson School of Law. He served the United Nations Human Rights Council Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances (WGEID) as Chair-Rapporteur (2020-2021), Vice-Chair (2018-2020), and Member (2015-2022). He was also Director of the Center for Korean Studies, University of Hawaii at Manoa until recently (2018-2024). He received his Bachelor of Law degree from Seoul National University College of Law and earned his master's (LL.M.) and doctoral (J.S.D.) degrees from Notre Dame Law School. He is admitted to the Bar as an attorney-at-law in the State of New York. He is currently on sabbatical as a visiting scholar at Korea University Law School. He teaches international human rights law, comparative law, and human rights in Asia. His publications include Seeking Human Rights Community in Asia (Changbi, 2017) and Recommendations for a Ratification of the UN Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance, 189 Justice 541 (2022).
Contact
Ingu Hwang (hwangie@xlqx.net)
Why K-pop? Curating Gen Z’s Desires in Music
November 21 , 2024
5:00 PM – 6:30 PM
In Person
Connolly House, Andover Room
Why is K-pop so popular around the world? Stephanie Choi discusses how the globalization of Korean popular music has generated new modes of communication and community-building across national borders and continents. Focusing on the digital creation of gendered intimacy, Choi explores how the emotional labor of idols and fans sustains the global economy of K-pop. This talk draws on Choi’s interviews with K-pop idols, producers, managers, and fans in Seoul, Los Angeles, and New York, and is part of her forthcoming book Branding Intimacy: Media, Labor, and Community in K-pop.
Stephanie Choi is a postdoctoral researcher at the Asia Research Institute at SUNY Buffalo.
This event is sponsored by the Global Korea Project, the Dean's Office, and the Institute for Liberal Arts. It is co-sponsored by International Studies, Asian Studies, and the Department of Eastern, Slavic, and German Studies.
Contact
Prof. Christina Klein (christina.klein@xlqx.net)
RESCHEDULED: A Conversation with Dr. Kyung-wha Kang on Global Challenges and Asian Leadership
January 23 , 2025
5:00 PM
In Person
Gasson Hall, Room 100
** THIS EVENT HAS BEEN RESCHEDULED FOR JANUARY 23, 2025 **
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As part of a Global Korea Project initiative, Dr. Kyung-wha Kang joins us at Boston College to discuss global challenges and Asian leadership. Dr. Kang is President and CEO of the Asia Society, Senior Advisor on policy to the UN Secretary-General, and former Minister of Foreign Affairs of South Korea.
Event Description
Dr.Kang will be addressing the global challenges and Asian leadership through a conversational format. Kang will be answering both GKP and audience-generated questions.
Dr. Kang will be introduced by Dr. Fr. James Keenan, S.J., Vice Provost for Global Engagement, Canisius Professor in Theology, and Director of the Jesuit Institute. The conversation will be moderated by Dr. Erik Owens, Director of the International Studies Program, Director of the Global Ethics and Social Trust Program, and Professor of the Practice in Theology.
Dr. Kyung-wha Kang
Asia Society, United Nations
Dr. Kyung-wha Kang is an accomplished diplomat who served as South Korea’s 38th Minister of Foreign Affairs (2017 to 2021). She is the first woman appointed to this post in the nation’s history, endeavoring to garner global support for South Korea’s initiative to engage with North Korea toward lasting peace and complete denuclearization on the Korean Peninsula. She previously held key leadership roles at the United Nations, including as Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights, Deputy Emergency Relief Coordinator and Assistant Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, and Senior Advisor on Policy to Secretary-General António Guterres.
Before joining the United Nations, Dr. Kang held various positions in South Korea’s Foreign Ministry, specializing in multilateral affairs and intergovernmental organizations. Among others, she served as Minister at the Permanent Mission of the Republic of Korea to the United Nations, during which she chaired the 48th and 49th sessions of the UN Commission on the Status of Women. Additionally, she spearheaded efforts to highlight women with disabilities in the drafting of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
Dr. Kang graduated from Yonsei University in Korea with a BA in political science and diplomacy and holds an MA and PhD from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. Her doctorate research as in the field of international and intercultural communication. Dr. Kang served as a Distinguished Professor Emeritus at Ewha Womans University and is a Distinguished Professor at the Institute for Global Engagement & Empowerment at Yonsei University.
Sponsors and Co-Sponsors
This event is sponsored by the Global Korea Project with the Morrissey College of Arts & Sciences Dean's Office, the Institute of Liberal Arts, the Office of Global Engagement, and the Asian American Studies Program. It is co-sponsored by the University Core Curriculum, International Studies program, Asian Studies program, the Department of Eastern, Slavic, and German Studies, the Asian Caucus, and the Korean Student Association.
Contact
Ingu Hwang (hwangie@xlqx.net)
Culture and Diversity Programming
Human Rights and Transitional Justice in Korea
October 03 , 2024
5:00 PM
In Person
Connolly House, Andover Room
Dr. Tae-Ung Baik, former Director of the Center for Korean Studies at the University of Hawaii, joins the Global Korea Project to discuss human rights and transitional justice in Korea with a focus on implementing UN Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance.
Abstract
South Korea is known for its comprehensive efforts to promote transitional justice. Various truth commissions dealing with past human rights violations and atrocities have been established including the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of the Republic of Korea. The issue of enforced disappearance has not been widely discussed in Korean context, but Korea is not an exception to the serious human rights problems. Many cases of enforced disappearances related to South Korea have been filed with UN mechanisms including cases of the POW in the 1950s, abductees in the 1960s and 1970s. South Korean National Assembly ratified the UN Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance (CED) in 2023. The CED ratification demonstrates that Korea is trying to follow international standards. However, the legislation of an implementation law is being delayed. The speaker will talk about South Korea’s efforts to deal with the past and key elements of the implementation legislation for CED to further transitional justice in Korea.
Dr. Tae-Ung Baik
University of Hawaii at Manoa
Dr. Tae-Ung Baik is a Professor at the William S. Richardson School of Law. He served the United Nations Human Rights Council Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances (WGEID) as Chair-Rapporteur (2020-2021), Vice-Chair (2018-2020), and Member (2015-2022). He was also Director of the Center for Korean Studies, University of Hawaii at Manoa until recently (2018-2024). He received his Bachelor of Law degree from Seoul National University College of Law and earned his master's (LL.M.) and doctoral (J.S.D.) degrees from Notre Dame Law School. He is admitted to the Bar as an attorney-at-law in the State of New York. He is currently on sabbatical as a visiting scholar at Korea University Law School. He teaches international human rights law, comparative law, and human rights in Asia. His publications include Seeking Human Rights Community in Asia (Changbi, 2017) and Recommendations for a Ratification of the UN Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance, 189 Justice 541 (2022).
Contact
Ingu Hwang (hwangie@xlqx.net)
Why K-pop? Curating Gen Z’s Desires in Music
November 21 , 2024
5:00 PM – 6:30 PM
In Person
Connolly House, Andover Room
Why is K-pop so popular around the world? Stephanie Choi discusses how the globalization of Korean popular music has generated new modes of communication and community-building across national borders and continents. Focusing on the digital creation of gendered intimacy, Choi explores how the emotional labor of idols and fans sustains the global economy of K-pop. This talk draws on Choi’s interviews with K-pop idols, producers, managers, and fans in Seoul, Los Angeles, and New York, and is part of her forthcoming book Branding Intimacy: Media, Labor, and Community in K-pop.
Stephanie Choi is a postdoctoral researcher at the Asia Research Institute at SUNY Buffalo.
This event is sponsored by the Global Korea Project, the Dean's Office, and the Institute for Liberal Arts. It is co-sponsored by International Studies, Asian Studies, and the Department of Eastern, Slavic, and German Studies.
Contact
Prof. Christina Klein (christina.klein@xlqx.net)
RESCHEDULED: A Conversation with Dr. Kyung-wha Kang on Global Challenges and Asian Leadership
January 23 , 2025
5:00 PM
In Person
Gasson Hall, Room 100
** THIS EVENT HAS BEEN RESCHEDULED FOR JANUARY 23, 2025 **
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
As part of a Global Korea Project initiative, Dr. Kyung-wha Kang joins us at Boston College to discuss global challenges and Asian leadership. Dr. Kang is President and CEO of the Asia Society, Senior Advisor on policy to the UN Secretary-General, and former Minister of Foreign Affairs of South Korea.
Event Description
Dr.Kang will be addressing the global challenges and Asian leadership through a conversational format. Kang will be answering both GKP and audience-generated questions.
Dr. Kang will be introduced by Dr. Fr. James Keenan, S.J., Vice Provost for Global Engagement, Canisius Professor in Theology, and Director of the Jesuit Institute. The conversation will be moderated by Dr. Erik Owens, Director of the International Studies Program, Director of the Global Ethics and Social Trust Program, and Professor of the Practice in Theology.
Dr. Kyung-wha Kang
Asia Society, United Nations
Dr. Kyung-wha Kang is an accomplished diplomat who served as South Korea’s 38th Minister of Foreign Affairs (2017 to 2021). She is the first woman appointed to this post in the nation’s history, endeavoring to garner global support for South Korea’s initiative to engage with North Korea toward lasting peace and complete denuclearization on the Korean Peninsula. She previously held key leadership roles at the United Nations, including as Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights, Deputy Emergency Relief Coordinator and Assistant Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, and Senior Advisor on Policy to Secretary-General António Guterres.
Before joining the United Nations, Dr. Kang held various positions in South Korea’s Foreign Ministry, specializing in multilateral affairs and intergovernmental organizations. Among others, she served as Minister at the Permanent Mission of the Republic of Korea to the United Nations, during which she chaired the 48th and 49th sessions of the UN Commission on the Status of Women. Additionally, she spearheaded efforts to highlight women with disabilities in the drafting of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
Dr. Kang graduated from Yonsei University in Korea with a BA in political science and diplomacy and holds an MA and PhD from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. Her doctorate research as in the field of international and intercultural communication. Dr. Kang served as a Distinguished Professor Emeritus at Ewha Womans University and is a Distinguished Professor at the Institute for Global Engagement & Empowerment at Yonsei University.
Sponsors and Co-Sponsors
This event is sponsored by the Global Korea Project with the Morrissey College of Arts & Sciences Dean's Office, the Institute of Liberal Arts, the Office of Global Engagement, and the Asian American Studies Program. It is co-sponsored by the University Core Curriculum, International Studies program, Asian Studies program, the Department of Eastern, Slavic, and German Studies, the Asian Caucus, and the Korean Student Association.
Contact
Ingu Hwang (hwangie@xlqx.net)
Scholarly Workshops
Sogang-BC Workshop
New scholarly collaboration among faculty and graduate students at BC and the Critical Global Studies Institute at Sogang University (a Jesuit university in Seoul).
Student Programs
Via Zoom; Dates ongoing
Global Conversations is a student-led program at BC to host peer-to-peer video conversations between small groups of BC students and students from universities abroad. BC students have discussed a range of topics about Korea and East Asia with students from Sophia University and Sogong University.
- The Boston-area Korean Language Table is hosted by Prof. Seung Hee Jeon on the first Friday of every month.
- Meetings are sponsored by the Sponsored by the Consulate General of the Republic of Korea in Boston.
- The New England Korean Speech Competition takes place each April. In 2023 it was hosted at Boston College.
Students at BC join classes at Sophia Univeristy in Tokyo and Sogang University in Seoul to discuss human rights, colonial legacies, and social justice.
Contentious History and the Politics of Contemporary Korea
- Summer course taught by Prof. Ingu Hwang
- Course number: INTL/HIST 2856Approved for CC, GC-SM, and PEDS-PE/DS electives in the International Studies Program; and an electve in the History Department.
- This introductory immersion course surveys the contentious intersection between history and politics in contemporary Korea on the topics of decolonization, division, development, and democratization. In addition to the class discussion, students will be guided to actively participate in the historical and cultural immersion/excursion programs, including the National Museum of Korean Contemporary History, the DMZ tour, and the Kim Dae-jung Presidential Library and Museum.
- June/July 2024: Sogang University, Seoul