Assorted images and insights from Seoul, January, 2013
Seoul
The Huffington Post
January 21, 2013
Congratulations on Your Monster-Hit Gangnam Style, Psy!
Now It Is Time to Become a Vegetarian and Ride a Bicycle
Emanuel Pastreich
Director
The Asia Institute
Mr. Psy
YG Entertainment
397-5 Hapjeong-dong Mapo-gu
Seoul, Republic of KoreaDear Psy,
Congratulations on your monster hit “Gangnam Style!” Your music video is the first in history to reach one billion hits on the Internet and it has shaken the world to its core. You have seized the zeitgeist by the horns, channeling the vitality and the contradictions of Seoul’s nouveau-riche south end into some of the most stunning dance routines and biting parodies of life in the fast lane I have ever seen. Bravo!
Occupy Seoul
It is fascinating to see that the term “Occupy Seoul” which is associated with protest movements around the world, has been adopted by the City of Seoul as part of its regular administrative policy.
The event is billed as a “gathering for participation in policy” or “Seminar on City Goverment Policy”
Suggesting that citizens will be able to participate in the policy debate and provide their opinions.
The process for the discussion is described here.
As I did not attend the event, I cannot describe its content or assess the significance of the approach. It is interesting that the City of Seoul was able to adopt this term, however.
A tale of Two Cities: Seoul in 2012
One striking aspect of Seoul these days is the contrast between the traditional world of family neighborhoods of a small scale including many brick houses of one or two stories and family businesses such as plumbers, carpenters and small stores on the one hand and a rapidly growing city of large-scale shopping malls, office buildings and apartments.
The two worlds have very little to do with each other and form essentially two sides of Seoul. To some degree, the combination of the two is part of Seoul’s attraction. But at the same time, one cannot help but wonder what exactly powers the sudden rise of the large-scale buildings.
“Workshop to encourage participation in policy debate”
I am not sure what to make of these ads, but they certainly are unlike anything I have seen elsewhere: a call for Seoul’s citizens to participate in policy debate through workshops. I have not attended them, so I cannot say I know what actually happens.
Seoul City initiatives to improve lives of women
The status of women in Korea is a great mystery. Without any doubt, many of the most thoughtful thinkers are women and women show a assertiveness and determination in school that is striking. Yet within organizations, women have not fared that well.
Seoul City has launched several initiatives to improve the lives of women. Here is a sign that I saw today near my home.
Talk about culture and education for elementary and high school principals
I gave a talk about education and culture on June 17, 2012 in front of a group of about one hundred principals of elementary and high schools in Seoul organized by the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education (서울시교육청). This “Principals Forum” was the first of its kind, a voluntary gathering of principals from around Seoul to exchange opinions on how education can be improved in Korea.
New posters in the Seoul Subway
A selection of intriguing new posters from the Seoul subway.
Wide-ranging talk about Korean literature at Seoul Selection
June 9, 2012
John Treat, Professor of Japanese literature at Yale University (from my original department of East Asian Languages and Literatures), Hank Kim, owner of Seoul Selection publishing, Gu-yong Lee president of Korean Literary Management and the poet Seung Shin Lee met together on Saturday for a cup of coffee at Seoul Selection’s underground café near Gyungbok Palace.
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“과학기술 패러다임의 변화와 행정 체제” 시리즈1 패널 토론회
“The Paradigm Shift for Science and Technology & the Future Administrative Regime”
June 28, 2012 2:30-5:30 PM
National Assembly Library, Basement, First floor