[Duane Johansen]

When I think of Koren throughout history, I think often of the "shrimp among the whales" saying. For most of its history, Korea has been overshadowed by its larger and/or more powerful neighbors: China, Japan, and Russia. However, they have been able to maintain a strong national and cultural identity ("han"). Even in the midst of the occupation by the Japanese in the early part of the 20th century, when Koreans were forced to take Japanese names and worship at Shinto shrines, that identity was not lost. There is still much more connecting the two Koreas than there is separating them. Please note, I'm not suggesting that historic Korea has not had a profound influence on its neighbors, as it certainly has, just that it tends to not get as much recognition. 

I'm happy to say that I have been lucky enough to eat nine of the ten featured foods, all of them even in Korea (the exception is the shaved ice, I'm not much of a dessert guy). Korea has some of the best food in the world (and some of the best alcohol, too, but that's another story). 

I did want to address one thing from the video: Although I'm glad that Dr. Jung Kim talked about the importance of women in the Korean household and in politics, there are still some areas for improvement as far as gender equity in Korea, particularly for unwed mothers, who are often stigmatized. That said, I was glad to get her perspective, as many people think of Korean society as significantly male dominated. And, there are other areas, such as the signature sports of Korea (archery, golf, etc.) where the women are among the most dominant on the planet.

[Duane Johansen]

On November 16th, I traveled to Indiana University in Bloomington to attend Dr. Byungdae Kim’s lecture “Three Windows Looking for North Korea: Nuclear, Human Rights, and Inter-Korea Relations.” Dr. Kim is a visiting scholar for the East Asian Studies Center at IU and has worked for the past twenty years at the Korean Ministry for Unification, spending the last two years as the Director General of the Humanitarian Cooperation Bureau. 

 

After a brief general introduction about the events that led to the separation of the two Koreas and attempts in the past to bridge these gaps, Dr. Kim addressed the prospects of inter-Korean relations in the present and future, looking at these prospects through the three different lenses addressed in the lecture’s title. Notably absent from the perspectives offered was an economic one.

 

Dr. Kim’s attitude towards inter-Korean relationships was generally positive, and he showed a moving video of families from both sides being allowed to spend time with one another in staged events supported by both sides. He also spoke of the difficulties faced by North Korean defectors as they attempt to adjust to life in South Korea. 

 

[Duane Johansen]

Dai Sil Kim-Gibson's People are the Sky is an interesting look at life in North Korea told by a woman who is going back to visit her old homeland in the DPRK. You can order it here: https://www.wmm.com/catalog/film/people-are-the-sky/ I don't think it's available for streaming. 

[Duane Johansen]

Here's the link to the movie: https://www.viddsee.com/video/human-form/vtirm. I love viddsee. It's a great platform to just play around on, and the videos are all short enough to use in the classroom. There's also an AMA (Ask Me Anything) with the director about the film that's available. https://www.viddsee.com/community/ama-i-am-the-filmmaker-of-human-form-viddsee-shortee-apr16-204

[Duane Johansen]

Here's more information about Guy Delisle's book, Pyongyang: A Journey in North Korea: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/80834.Pyongyang

It's very accessible and is easy to excerpt for use in the classroom.

[Duane Johansen]

I saw it this Saturday. I HIGHLY recommend. It is probably my favorite movie of the year. I would love to see it again. I haven't necessarily been a big fan of Bong's other work, but this was a fantastic movie.

 

[Duane Johansen]

Hello, everyone. I'm Duane Johansen, a humanities instructor at the Excel Center in Kokomo, Indiana. My school is a special school run by Goodwill Industries that helps adults get the work done that they need to finish their high school diplomas. We are an accredited public/private cooperative charter school. I teach integrated language arts/social studies classes, including two levels of combined English/World Civilizations classes. This summer, I was honored to be among ten teachers chosen for a study tour of South Korea via Indiana University. I have done many seminars related to East Asia and Korea and am on the editorial board of the magazine Education About Asia. I am the father of three wonderful sons ranging in age from 15-23, and I have one cat who doesn't like other people.

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