Time | 1:30 – 3:00 PM
Location | Dosan Ahn Chang Ho Family House, 809 West 34th Street, Los Angeles, CA 90089
Mr. Ko Young-hwan, President of the National Institute for Unification Education (NIU), will deliver a talk on the Republic of Korea’s unification policy, specifically the 8.15 Unification Doctrine. He will also provide insights into the North Korean political system, drawing from his extensive experience as a North Korean diplomat and interpreter for Kim Il-sung.
President Ko defected to the Republic of Korea in 1991 after over a decade of service in central and East Africa, including his first posting in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Since his defection, he has held several key positions in the Republic of Korea, including special aide to Unification Minister Kim Yung-ho and vice president of the Institute for National Security Strategy.
*This event will be in Korean. Interpreters will be on standby for Q&A.
While South Korea successfully transitioned from nearly four decades of authoritarian rule to a parliamentary democracy, the high-level political democratization of post-1987 was also enmeshed with all-out neoliberal restructuring following the 1997 financial crisis. The consequent deepening of inequality and poverty, leading to extreme polarization of the society, along with disappointments with political reform, has resulted in the widespread sense of defeat and pessimism embodied in the discourse of “de-democratization;” that is, despite the hegemony of democratic rhetoric and political democratization, democracy in South Korea is in crisis.
This presentation argues that despite the widespread despair, a broad spectrum of civil society has made equally determined and vociferous efforts to demand and work for democratization in all spheres of life. It explores the political horizons and social imaginaries of these movements, which compel rethinking the meaning of democracy and broadening the existing concept of social movements.
The Annual USC Graduate Conference in Korean Studies is set to be held on Friday, February 7th, 2025. We are currently accepting applications for presenters.
We welcome applicants from the humanities and social sciences who are conducting research related to Korea, East Asia, or Asian diasporas. Submissions that situate Korea within broader comparative or theoretical frameworks are especially encouraged.
Important dates for applicants:
Deadline for paper proposals: Friday, November 15th, 2024
Notifications of acceptance: Monday, December 2nd, 2024
Deadline for paper submissions: Friday, January 17th, 2025
KSI Undergraduate Fellows Mini-Conference | March 15th
The KSI Undergraduate Fellows will be presenting their research to each other in preparation of the USC-Michigan Undergraduate Research Exchange Conference. They will be honing their papers and presentation skills and receiving feedback from their peers and discussants.
Undergraduate Research Exchange Conference w/the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor | March 29th, 2025
Our Undergraduate Research Fellows will be taking part in the annual USC-Michigan Undergraduate Research Exchange Conference with students from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor as part of the research program! This year, the conference will be held in Los Angeles at USC. More details TBA.
KSI Undergraduate Fellows Commencement Reception | April 15th, 2025
We will be celebrating our graduating KSI Undergraduate Fellows as well as welcoming the incoming cohort of students who will begin their journeys with our Fellows program at the Ahn Family House.
