Session 5 readings, 9/30 morning

[cgao]

Below are the readings for session 4 on Korea Since 1945. The presenter is Professor Jennifer Jung-Kim from UCLA. 

 

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[Lesly Gonzalez]

I particularly liked the short story, Cranes. There are so many unspoken and undescribed interactions between the two friends in the story, that the reader is sucked into the story, visualizing and constructing the scenes. I also really enjoyed how the writer uses the imagery of cranes in a landscape in the climax of the story. "Go and catch a crane!"

The story about Dr. Yi Inguk is just as superbly written, but I did not enjoy it as much as cranes. In large part, because I did not enjoy getting to know Kapitan Lee. This is a character who is willing to do almost everything and anything to maintain his wealth and status regardless of which state has supremacy over Korea.

I would like to thank Professor Jung-Kim because I think she prepared me well to better understand this reading. Without her previous lecture, I would have had a harder time processing the meaning of Nami's name change and Dr. Yi's sentiment that his infant son was his only, "flesh and blood."

 

[Lesly Gonzalez]

It was surprising for me to learn that "80% of heavy industry, 76% of mining, and 92% of electricity-generating capacity," lied in the north of Korea prior to the division. "Light manufacturing and agriculture dominated in the South." This, compounded by U.S. bombing of all structures of economic value in the north, means that Korea north and Korea south had to completely rebuild and redefine themselves, at least economically.

[Rick Steil]

Ten things about Korea was an eye-opening article. The size and population of Korea were two facts that amazed me in this article. That the size of Korea was similar to that of Utah but has a population of 68 million people  makes me feel claustrophobic. Utah has only 3 million people and is one of our wide open western states. This information gives us an insight into how it must feel with so many people in the cities and how you need to fight every day to survive in this dense society. I believe I can used this information to show how photography is effected by people living in such dense areas. The need to show open spaces helped to create some relief in their society.

[Rick Steil]

Professor Jung Kim talked about how Korea became divided. It was really amazing that Korea was to be one country after World War II but were unable to come to an agreement so they country was split. How different would today’s problem with North Korea be if they would have united under one government. It is these little facts that end up creating such impacts in the future and effect the entire world.

[Michelle Levy]

Based on Professor Kim's lecture, what I can see myself integrating into the classroom is the events and sequencing how Korea became divided and what happened in the North and South. I would put a timeline in which it would be the students who put the events in order. 

Korea became divided at the end of WW 2 (1945). In 1947 Korea had to figure out how to have a single gov’t, and they couldn't do it. In the South, the government became the Democratic People’s Republic. Korean War began 6/25/1950. North attacked South. But who was to blame? It was actually a lot of supportive countries including the US for gov’t, USSR to advance socialism, and North Korea for supporting Communist China (so therefore China). The US refused to acknowledge Korean People's Republic. US also distrusted communists and therefore Koreans. However 23 countries became involved in the Korean War. The UN fought for the South. China and USSR supported North.

South Korea had the first constitution called the First Republic. Syngman Rhee first President. Exceeded term limits. Very poor economy. Started ordering civilians to be shot for treason, and people could no longer take it. Until resignation on 4/29/1960. I see that the people had a strong morality to oppose the President’s rule. All because of student demonstrations. This all led to South Korea deciding to create a role for a Prime Minister and President.  Chang Myon was the first Prime Minister.

I can also see integrating student demonstrations. My students can use evidence to fight for something they believe in, like having chocolate milk in the cafeteria. But students will learn that fighting for what you believe in can be beneficial and make changes for the future. I think this would be relatively easy to explain and present this recent history of Korea to the students and that they could really understand why there was a need for change.

 

[Rick Steil]

Session 5 was great for me personally because Professor Jung Kim showed some photographs taken during the protests in Korea. They looked very similar to those of the demonstrations in the 60’s in America. This could lead to a comparison of photographers and photographs taken In Korea and America during the 60’s.This could lead to a conversation about photography and the similarities between photographers from these 2 different lands.

[Michelle Levy]

I agree with you, Rick! I think it would be really interesting to present an alternate outcome if only the North and South could have come to an agreement on a unified government. I also see a lot of opportunities for lessons in the classroom where students can create options that Korea could have taken in 1947 to persevere in a United government. This is a great inquiry based project!

[Michelle Levy]

It was interesting in the reading on Kapitan Lee, that it was very much based on historical fiction. It is only now that I realize the true tension in the years that South Korea was under Japanese rule and basically slavery. This fictional story is ridden with passages that describe what was really happening. Kwangyong writes, "During the thirty years that followed, everything had changed around Yi but the watch...Days of Japanese control, imprisonment under the Soviet military occupation, the War, the 38th Parallel, the U.S. Army - how many crises had he managed to escape? It was a miracle that the seventeen-jewel Waltham watch had kept time through such tribulations." I just loved reading this. Later in the same reading, he writes, "Ha! I who have lived through those molelike Japs and prickly Russkis- What are the Yankees to me? Let the revolution come, let the state change hands..." I think more than anything, this reading inspires me for a writing assignment for my 2nd and 3rd graders. For a mini lesson, after a personal narrative has been written, I can have the students revise to include some current event that is happening to help their audience understand their setting even more. I'm really excited to read mentor text passages, like Kapitan Lee to my students to show what this can add to their stories! 

[Cindy Nguyen]

The morning session with Professor Kim was very informative about the long and turbulent history of democracy in Korea.  I was honestly shocked at the amount of times the constitution had changed since the 1940s.  I though Korea was a stable government since Japan left and the United States was providing aid to the country.  The history textbooks that are used in my school only grazes over the subject of Korea and when it is mentioned it is usually connected to Japan's history.  In the reading, "Liberation, Civil War, and Division" gave the background on the conflict of the two Koreas and the rise of Kim Il Sung's military power.  I would use different excerpts of the reading and distribute to groups to read.  They would then read the excerpts and then reteach it to the rest of the class as their classmates takes notes the subject.  This method would help students focus only on their part, it breaks down the heavily informative reading, and gives them an opportunity to present their finding to their classmates.

[Cindy Nguyen]

I am embarrassed to say I was caught up in the Korean Wave. Korean culture has taken Asia by storm and now it has spilled over to America.  I didn't realize I was caught in the Korean Wave until I caught myself eating ramyun noodles while watching Korean drama and drinking soju. The wild thing about this was that I was not alone!  Majority of my girlfriends were living this type of lifestyle too.  Of course I would never tell my students of this crazy life I live but I would incorporate Korean culture into my curriculum.  I would use Korean products to grab the attention of my students by showing clips of popular Korean drama, K-pop songs, and/or Korean food to show how influential Korean culture has become in America.  After this lesson, I would use this opportunity to provide the students with lessons on the occupation of Korea by Japan and then the decades of government instability.  Hopefully through this lesson I would be able to show the students another side of Koreans and not just what they see on the internet or movies.

[Flor Contreras]

There is a lot of unknown information and secrecy about North Korea. It would be interesting to assign students to research North Korean history and how and why this half country was divided from the whole. I will also find interesting to have students debate theories on NK and their persistence in keeping and developing nuclear weapons.

[Christine Xu]

In 1998 the south Korean president, Kim Das -jung brought the idea, the Sunshine Policy. He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his successful implementation of this policy. It was foundered by Hyundai. The countries agreed to work toward a peaceful reunification in the future. “The idea was based on the traditional Korean ways of dealing with enemies by giving them gifts to prevent them from causing harm”. The aims for this policy are: No armed provocation by the North will be tolerated; the south will not attempt to absorb the north in any way; the south actively seeks cooperation. 

So many separated families got reunited. And old siblings got to see each other after so many year( I was touched by the picture). According to professor Kim’s PPT/picture, the guy said “ father I have returned your cow back”. It was really emotional moment. 

However the process of reunification has met many difficulties due to ongoing tension between the two states. It is sad for the civilians ( why the families have to be separated because of the governmental political issues.)

[Rick Steil]

Session 5 was my favorite session so far because we saw more current affairs being covered and more media driven content that I can use in my photography classes. I really like the part where Professor Jung Kim showed images from fashion magazines that showed Russian models taking the place of Korean models to advertise to Koreans. I was in the fashion industry for 25 years and was always shocked that Asian countries would use western models to see their products. I did not know that the Russian models had a presence in Korea but it makes sense because of their relationship between the 2 countries. I can use this in my classes as we look at world fashions and the fashion industry.

[Carlos Oyarbide]

One of the interesting things about North Korea is its use of its nuclear armament as its chief diplomatic tool. Unlike Iran and Iraq who abated their nuclear programs in exchange for abolishing economic sanction, North Korea has continued to build and refine their nuclear weapons while still using them as their chief bargaining tool with the West. With a seemingly air tight control over its civilian population, North Korea is able to endure crippling economic sanctions. Recent heated exchanges between North Korea and Donald Trump has frightened many Americans. But trying to look at the situation objectively, I can understand why the North Korean leadership is not interested in surrendering its nuclear arsenal. Looking at the recent history of other nations with nuclear aspirations who gave up its nuclear programs it seems that North Korea’s unwillingness to suspend its own program is actually very pragmatic.

 

On the one hand, giving up the arsenal would benefit the lives of most North Koreans, but on the other it would compromise the existing power structure. I think this topic would make for a great debate inside a high school classroom: Should North Korea give up its nuclear weapons? It could be examined from a couple of different perspectives. Obviously, it can be examined from the North Korean perspective, but it can also be examined from an international perspective such as South Korea or the U.S. 

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