60th Anniversary of the Korean War

Tomorrow morning at 4am, Friday, June 25th, will mark the 60th anniversary of the North Korean invasion and the official launch of the war. In rememberance to all those whose lives were lost (civilians and troops) and to those families who remained divided from relatives and their ancestoral homeland.

Peace.

Regards from Daejeon.

Busy in Korea!

Apologies for not posting the promised blog entries. The past few days have been booked with cultural visits, long car rides, extensive lunches and dinners, and meetings. I simply have not had the energy to post anything. I am working on a couple of reflection pieces and will notify all when ready. More later...

Day 4: Seoul Update (16 June 2010)

I will visit the U.S. Embassy today and the University of Seoul. Our group had meetings from 9am through 9:30 pm yesterday and as of yet, I have not been able to finish a couple of reflection pieces. My goal is to have a coouple posted by Friday.

In the meantime, the following newslink from NPR on North Korea is a fascinating look into this pennisula and society. It provides both a US and South Korean perspective of North Korea's connection to the outside world. http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=127836840

Finally, Brazil won its match over North Korea (2-1) on Tuesday (Wednesay in Seoul). The Korean front is suddenly buzzing with activity: UN deliberations on the sinking of the S. Korean vessel and threats of war (http://edition.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/asiapcf/06/15/un.north.korea/index.html?hpt=T1), N. Korea's participation in the World Cup (its first since 1966), S. Korea's upcoming World Cup match on Thursday, and S. Korean national strategies to make the Incheon region a global node of capitalism.

I look forward to sharing my reflections with you soon!

Regards from Yonsei University in Seoul.

An FYI: North Korean Soccer Article

Of possible and timely interest. Regards from Seoul!

http://edition.cnn.com/2010/SPORT/football/06/08/north.korea.secret.team/index.html?hpt=C1

A few shots of me yesterday and today in Seoul. A footnote: I ate the spiciest chicken-on-a-stick from a street vendor yesterday. My lips were numb for at least 30 minutes. More later... Eric

Day 2 - Lectures & Meetings (Seoul)

Greetings from steamy Seoul, where the humidity rivals that of Macon, GA.

Today's agenda was busy with two lectures at the Fulbright Building, a huge business lunch, and a meeting at the Korean Women's Development Institute. I am in the process of drafting a new post that reflects on today's discussions on twentieth and twenty-first century history, economic development, and gender relations. I hope to have something posted in the next day or two.

Seoul (Day 1)

I arrived at 4:20 a.m.!

Today marks the beginning of my two-week journey through Korean society, culture, and higher education. My fellow Fulbrighters from San Francisco State, Princeton, George Mason, Harper College, Minnesota State, University of Minnesota, and NC State and I are based on the Yonsei University campus for our first week in Seoul, South Korea. One of South Korea's top three universities, Yonsei has been a center for East-West dialogue for the past 125 years. It will now be my base of operation for the next six days.

My objective over the next couple of weeks will be to learn more about Korean society and its policies toward higher education. I hope to understand how this national 'economic miracle' will address demographic change (population decline) and 21st century globalization. I furthermore aim to explore local perspectives of the on-going political threat to the north.

I look forward to sharing these thoughts and images with you over the next fortnight. I hope that you will enjoy this virtual journey as I trek among Koreans, their culture, policies, and geographic landscapes.

Eric Spears
Seoul, 13 June 2010