A Flavor of Seoul-Hoyer- SNU- Summer Language Grant

Greetings from Seoul!

            For my second blog, I have created a video of some of my gustatory adventures in Korea. My initial blog idea was to make a longer video of different traditional Korean foods with a part on traditional summer foods.  However, while making the video, I decided to make it shorter so that the viewers did not have to stare at head shots of me speaking for multiple songs.  In the video, I focus on some of the Korean foods I had the pleasure of tasting during a day trip to Gwangjang Market with friends.

            Foods which did not make the cut were filmed on different days than my market trip.  One food which I originally filmed was Samgyetang.  Samgyetang is a Korean ginseng chicken soup which contains a whole, rice-stuffed baby chicken inside broth.  It is a Korean tradition to eat it on the hottest day of summer, July 23.  There is a Korean idiom which states, “fight fire with fire.”  It refers to the practice by Koreans of eating hot foods on hot summer days due to the belief that it is good for the body to consume hot foods to contrast the cold foods normally eaten during hot summer days which can hurt the body.  It is particularly eaten on three summer days as marked by the lunar calendar: the first, middle, and last day of summer.
            To contrast Samgyetang, I also wanted to mention Naengmyeon, iced Korean noodles.  The wheat noodles are often very long and require cutting with scissors, normally provided by the restaurant.  They are served in a cold, sweet broth with egg and vegetables along with shaved ice to keep the dish refreshing.

            Another summer refreshing treat includes Bingsu, a Korean frozen dessert composed of shaved ice, red bean paste, ice cream, and other flavored toppings according to the individual’s taste, such as green tea and cookies and cream.  The original version of this shaved ice treat was Patbingsu, which only contained red bean paste with shaved ice and no additional flavors.

Verónica María Hoyer, B.A., International Affairs 2017,

Sigur Center 2016 Korean Language Fellow,

Seoul National University, South Korea.

The Challenges of Immersion Language Training- Hoyer- SNU-Summer Language Grant

I was fortunate to receive the Sigur Center Grant for Korean Language Study in Korea for summer 2016.  I have studied Korean for several years, to include completing the third level at GWU, and have not had the chance to study Korean in Korea until this summer.  It has been a challenging and humbling experience to study in-country at Seoul National University (SNU).  Having to operate in my language of study without an English-clutch to lean on gives me a whole new awareness of my language ability and a new understanding of what it means to be proficient in a language.

There are several challenges I’ve faced while studying Korean here that I did not face while studying Korean in America.  One of those challenges has been fully understanding new material, such as new grammar, as the class is entirely conducted in Korean.  Another challenge has been entering the program at level three of their six-level program.  Most of my fellow students begun their studies at SNU at level one and therefore have the same language knowledge base.  Various times throughout the course certain grammar patterns have come up with which I am not acquainted and upon asking for clarification, I am told that the class learned that material during the previous levels and that I am expected to know it as a level three student.

Another language challenge which I face is communicating with my peers.  I am not only asked to speak in Korean with my peers but have to speak in Korean with my classmates due to the language barriers between us.  We are a class of 14 students, 11 of which are native-Chinese speakers from China and Hong Kong.  When communicating in Korean with classmates in America, I have more room to make mistakes in Korean while still being understood.  That is because often times the language mistakes I make as a student are due to composing my Korean sentences based on an American cultural context or as a direct translation of a phrase in English, the meaning of which is understood by people with a similar linguistic background even if incorrectly formulated.  It has been challenging to be unable to express myself liberally and to connect fully with my peers due to our language barriers.

But it is these very challenges that have made my studies here impactful.  Korean is no longer a subject I study in an air-conditioned, stale classroom at the heart of DC.  Korean is alive around me and dictates my surroundings when I wake in the mornings.  Vocabulary is no longer particular to a chapter within a book assigned to a specific week on the syllabus but is the essential building block to conduct everyday activities such as going to a restaurant, buying clothing at an underground market, or communicating with a taxi driver.

I know my Korean is developing more profoundly here than ever before.  I only wish I had the chance to stay longer and to continue to see my language skill improve as it has here during the last three weeks.

Buddha statue at Bongeunsa Temple

Inside Bongeunsa Temple, first built in 794 during the Silla Kingdom.

My neighborhood and daily walk to school.

Verónica María Hoyer, B.A. International Relations 2017,
Sigur Center 2016 Korean Language Fellow,
Seoul National University, South Korea

Five pieces of advice for field researchers

Almost right after my arrival in Seoul, I excitedly called the Pan-National Committee for Truth Concerning Civilian Massacres Before and After the Korean War (hereafter the Pan-National Committee), an umbrella organization that includes most local associations of families of victims. Even though I had scheduled appointments with multiple experts related to my dissertation topic, civilian victimization during the Korean War, I still wanted to expand my network in Korea, and the committee seemed to be an ideal place to start my data collection. I expected to receive a warm welcome from the committee and endless support in collecting materials. However, things were slightly different from my expectations.

When I called the committee for the first time, I met with a cautious reaction. It took quite a while until this old gentleman picked up the phone (later, he turned out to be the president of the committee, Pastor Lim Tae-hwan). I briefly introduced myself and my dissertation project and asked him if I could schedule an appointment to visit the committee. He sighed. Yes, he sighed. He then asked me about my personal details including whether or not I am a South Korean citizen, the undergraduate and master programs from which I had graduated, the name of my master thesis advisor, and so forth. Being somewhat annoyed, I asked him why he asked so many personal questions, but he said he had to know me before letting me visit the committee. After 10 minutes on the phone, I was finally able to schedule a visit.

Pastor Lim was much friendlier in person than on the phone. He acknowledged the significance of my research and gave me some booklets published by the committee. He also gave me names of several researchers who are still investigating violence during the Korean War. However, it seemed that this was all he could do to help me. Even though he was the president of the Pan-National Committee, the organization did not seem to have the economic and human resources to support an independent researcher.

The moment I entered the committee’s office, I could see how bad its financial condition was. The office was old and small. There was no working staff, except for Pastor Lim, and all of the computers looked outdated. There were no beverages in the refrigerator, so he served me one of the soft drinks that I had brought there as a gift. Shortly after we started talking, the pastor’s son arrived. He did not tell me the reason why he asked his son to join us, but it is likely his son was there as a body guard. It might be unsafe for an elderly man to meet a complete stranger who is interested in a sensitive topic. 

It also seemed that the alliance between victims, advocacy groups and scholarship, which bolstered the activities of the Pan-National Committee, had broken down. I heard that there had been conflicts of interest between the government-established Truth and Reconciliation Commission, including scholars and members of advocacy groups who participated in TRC as investigators, and victims and their families. While the TRC had to investigate cases of violence with limited time (5 years) and resources, the demands from victims’ associations were extensive. There were several local associations of families of victims, scholars, or NGOs  that were working on human rights violation cases during the Korean War, but there was no actively working pan-national group. 

Situations outside the committee were not much different. I visited many researchers who published books and articles on atrocities that occurred during the Korean War, but many of them had moved towards a different research agenda. The Korean Genocide Research Association, which had served as a regular avenue for academic discussion on past violence for years, never published its journal after 2010. The only places that could provide me with fresh materials were a few local institutes that received especially strong support from local citizens such as Yeosu Community Research Institute and the Geumjung Cave Incident Peace Foundation. 

Overall, I was able to collect a significant amount of primary and secondary data, despite the unexpected situation in South Korea. After realizing that there was not much ongoing investigation on civilian victimization cases during the Korean War, I turned my focus to published data. There was considerable knowledge of the Korean War and civilian victimization that had been accumulated in the 2000s and that had not received attention from international scholarship. After getting through the long and boring process of photocopying and scanning at many libraries and archives, I collected more than 200GB of scanned documents, which is a good amount of information to use in my dissertation project.

However, it is still surprising that there was such a gap between me at the home institution and in the field, despite my personal advantages. I didn’t have language or cultural barriers. In addition, I took advantage of scholarly networks in South Korea as a graduate of a university in Seoul when preparing for the fieldwork. Moreover, I am living an era of Internet. I searched through websites and electronic journals in Korea, but still could not fully understand that the number of scholarly and non-scholarly investigation pieces on the related topics was decreasing. This suggests how hard it is to conduct fieldwork, even in this globalized age.

Based on my experience in Korea, my advice for future field researchers is as follows. First, secure as large a budget possible and allow for schedule flexibility for the duration of the stay, including a potential extension of the stay. Even for me, who is a native speaker of Korean and had some networks with local scholars, it was quite difficult to conduct the fieldwork as planned. Second, assume a slightly worse situation than situation you envision at your home institution. Local experts you have talked to via email and phone are less likely to provide you with up-to-date information about the field. Even if they genuinely like your project, you are an “interesting stranger” at best. Who would say to you, a stranger, that investigation in the field that you are interested in is not going very well? You are more likely to hear diplomatically positive responses from local people unless you meet them in person.

Third, don’t always go for well-known people. Sometimes in the field, people you didn’t know show up and help you. Before going to Korea, I had only contacted several “big shot” scholars in related fields. However, some of them turned out to be not very helpful. It would be lucky if famous scholars were willing to help you, but more often than not, they are busy. I personally believe that local doctoral students are the best potential helpers in creating a win-win relationship with you. Doctoral students are likely to have both extensive knowledge on your topic and incentive to work with you since they may consider you, a graduate student from an English-speaking country, as a potential coauthor in future international scholarship. 

Finally, not closely related to the main theme of this blog post, but as useful technical advice, bring a scanner or buy one in the field, especially when you are collecting primary documents. Papers are heavy. The only possible way to collect a large amount of data is to produce electronic copies of it, whether  from primary or secondary sources. Even in an advanced country like the US, scanners are not as ubiquitous as photocopiers. Unless you have your own scanner in your own room, you will need to carry a bunch of photocopied materials to a scanning station and spend lots of money every day. Small and effective scanners such as the Fujitsu ScanSnap series might still be inconvenient to carry, but they will definitely save you a considerable amount of time and money.

Seung Joon Paik
Ph.D. Political Science 2015
Sigur Center 2015 Field Research Fellow
Seoul, South Korea

You will never know until you get there.

Hi, everyone. My name is Seung Joon, and I’m a PhD candidate in the Department of Political Science. This summer, I visited South Korea to collect data for my doctoral dissertation with the financial support of the Sigur Center for Asian Studies. Overall, I was fortunate to collect an extraordinary number of primary and secondary materials from diverse sources including archives, research institutes, individual scholars, and public and private libraries. However, the situation I encountered in South Korea was quite different from the one I had envisioned in my initial plan. The information that I relied on when I was planning the fieldwork at GW turned out to be outdated, and I needed to revise my data-collection plan constantly as I learned more about the current situation in the field. In this and the following blog posts, I will discuss this gap between the home institution and the field, and I will attempt to suggest several pieces of advice to address this problem.

My doctoral research focuses empirically on civilian massacre cases that were perpetrated during the Korean War. More than 500 events of civilian massacre were perpetrated by the South and North Korean governments and sometimes by local militias during the Korean War. Some civilians were killed because of their ideologies; others were targeted based on false accusations; and still others were randomly selected victims. Most of them were killed without trials. In South Korea, families of victims formed associations and appealed to the government that they were unreasonably victimized after President Syngman Rhee resigned. The Fourth National Assembly of South Korea investigated massacres during the war, but the activities of associations of victims’ families were branded as “commies’ family” and repressed by the South Korean government after the May 16 coup and Park Chung-hee’s rise to power. After that, families of the victims had to remain silent until the June 29 Declaration, when the authoritarian Fifth Republic of Korea agreed to demands for democratization by South Korean citizens. 

As South Korea became democratized, families of victims started to speak up. Despite continuing government surveillance, they reorganized associations and advanced their causes by excavating the remains of victims, holding annual memorial services, conducting interviews with victims who had survived and their families, collecting physical evidence, and circulating petitions. Human rights NGOs and advocacy groups used their networks to support such efforts. Liberal scholars such as Dong-chun Kim also responded to the victims’ causes by publishing books and articles on past human rights violations. Journalists made a critical contribution by spreading information about the cause to the general public. A documentary series by MBC, Now We Discuss, covered numerous sensitive issues including the Jeju Uprising, the Bodo League Massacre, the Geochang massacre, and the No Gun Ri Incident. Thanks to the efforts of diverse groups, the South Korean government launched multiple government commissions that investigated past human rights violations. 

Indeed, the 2000s saw a renaissance of investigations into past human rights violations. In 2000, the Pan-National Committee for Truth Concerning Civilian Massacres Before and After the Korean War (hereafter, the Pan-National Committee) was established as an umbrella organization that includes most of the associations of families of victims. Experienced human rights activists joined the committee as members and advisors, and academics provided a scholarly foundation. A group of scholars organized the Korean Genocide Research Association, which discussed various aspects of human rights violations from Korean and foreign cases in its regular workshops and in its biannual academic journal, the Korean Journal of Genocide Studies. Multiple books about South Korea’s dark history have been published annually. In addition, the government has put considerable effort into investigating past atrocities. The Truth and Reconciliation Commission of South Korea (the TRC), which was the most extensive organization among similar government commissions, had more than 200 resident staff members and a large annual budget. These were what I remembered about the truth-finding efforts in South Korea. I joined the political science doctoral program at GW in 2010 and did not have a chance to get an update on the situation in Korea. 

When I was planning fieldwork at GW, I naturally assumed a brighter situation in Korea based on what I remembered. Even though the TRC investigation had completed its work in 2010, I believed that there would be continuing efforts in regard to past atrocities since the South Korean society must have learned a lot about unresolved issues of human rights violation during the 2000s. I hoped that there would be numerous families of victims as well as journalists, scholars, and human rights advocacy groups that still worked on under-investigated cases of violence, and that I would be able to obtain a vast amount of information about newly discovered cases from them. 

Of course, I did not only assume this. I talked to several prominent scholars of civilian massacres and the Korean War by email or by phone to schedule appointments. Most of them displayed a deep interest in my project and acknowledged the significance of this research. Several even offered to help me with my data collection. Everything sounded all right; nothing seemed amiss. Thus, there seemed to be no reason to alter my optimistic expectations concerning my fieldwork in South Korea. With much hope, I flew to Korea on May 11.

Seung Joon Paik
Ph.D. Political Science 2015
Sigur Center 2015 Field Research Fellow
Seoul, South Korea

Seoul Wanderings

 

A short video of my adventures in Seoul this summer. Enjoy!

         -Adena

 

 

Adena Peckler

B.A. Asian Studies, International Affairs 2015

Sigur Center 2014 Korean Language Fellow

Seoul National University, South Korea

 

For more posts from Korea:

Language Study at Seoul National University   

Update from Seoul

Language Study at Seoul National University

               In choosing a language program in Seoul this summer, I was faced with an overwhelming number of renowned university programs to consider. After having talked with students who had studied in South Korea, I was directed to Seoul National University’s Korean Language Education Center (KLEC) based on the evaluation that the curriculum offered would provide a well-rounded approach to reading, writing, and speaking. Without a doubt the program advanced my knowledge of the Korean language, but this achievement required an immense amount of time and energy.
                On the first day of the summer session, I was completely surprised by the pace of the class. From the textbooks, lectures, and even amongst the teachers, there was no English explanation to be found. At George Washington University the language classes are to a large extent taught in Korean, but there also exists a reliable English crutch for clarification. Yet even in KLEC’s Introductory Level 1, where students presumably have had no prior exposure to the language, classes are taught entirely in Korean! There are definite benefits to this strict “Korean Only” policy as it forces students train their ear and speech, but in the first few weeks I felt completely overwhelmed. 

I have been studying Korean for a few years now, but the vocabulary and grammar I understood did not coincide with the foundational material of KLEC. This became clear when I submitted the initial placement exam and, from a quick glance and a matter of seconds, it was declared that I was “halfway between levels”. From such a helpful deduction I chose to round-up and to proceed to the next level. This was perhaps the greatest challenge for me during my time in Korea- aside from reviewing the material learned in class, I also strove to play catch-up. In a mere ten weeks I learned more than could ever be imagined in the year equivalent, let alone a semester, at George Washington University.

 

 

 

On the left are the textbooks used during ten weeks at KLEC.
The book to the right spans almost a year's worth of study in the United States.

          
               As I began to acclimate to my new life in Seoul, the students in my class were the kindest people who came to truly define my experience in this city. Despite our diverse backgrounds and ages, the fact that we were all studying in South Korea reflected a shared passion amongst us for the country and its culture. Applying one’s knowledge of Korean outside of the classroom extends only so far, especially given the lack of both time and patience for strangers to aid you. Yet in the comfort of a class group, we could support each other whilst stumbling through the language. Although most of the students had studied together since Level 1, my entire class was extremely welcoming and became my greatest aid through the informal review sessions we created for those new to the program.

The class celebrating having successfully ordered, over the phone, pizza to be delivered!

 

This has been my first experience participating in an intensive language study, but it will hopefully not be my last. Ten weeks, four hours each day in the classroom, and all the studying which proceeded it, was no simple task. In retrospect, I would recommend Seoul National University’s Korean language study only to those whom have had a much longer exposure to Korean, perhaps at Level 4 or 5. It required quite a bit of work, but such an opportunity allowed me to study alongside equally motivated individuals, exposure to multiple cultures, as well as the ability to actively apply the grammar points after each lesson. I will now be leaving Korea with greater insight into its culture and language, quite a fair share of strange stories, long-lasting friendships, and a burning desire to return!

 

 

Seoul National University's Kyujanggak Institute for Korean Studies

 

Adena Peckler

B.A. Asian Studies, International Affairs 2015

Sigur Center 2014 Korean Language Fellow

Seoul National University, South Korea

 

For more posts from Korea:

Seoul Wanderings

Update from Seoul

Update from Seoul

               My name is Adena Peckler and I am an undergraduate Korean Language Fellow enrolled in an intensive summer study at one of South Korea’s prominent “SKY” institutions, Seoul National University. Prior to arriving in South Korea, I was aware of the value this experience would hold regarding contemporary Korean culture, as well as my grasp of the Korean language. I was not prepared for the valuable insight I would also gain into the various opinions regarding South Korea’s future potential.

While in Seoul, I have come to realize that in order to understand the importance of South Korea’s influence in Asia, one can simply look at the composition of students enrolled in the language schools. The number of participants in Seoul National University’s summer language program is in fact quite small, with a typical class size of fourteen students. Despite the small size, there are key trends to note. The first is that many of the students in the program are either gap year students, or college graduates, who hope to work or study in South Korea. The overwhelming majority of these students are from China, Southeast Asia, and Australia. For some classmates, their motivation for Korean language study was a lack of academic and professional opportunity due to immense competition, while others are seeking a degree which they believe will be of a higher value given its origination from Korea (also consider that the program is held at one of the premier institutions in Asia). Thus, for the students from China and Southeast Asia, the vast majority began studying Korean at level 1 and plan to proceed to level 7 in order to take the government-sponsored TOPIK and KLPT proficiency exams.

 

 

Similarly, there is a large contingent of Australian students participating in the program as well. Many are here on language grants provided by the Australian Government, as well as a vast array of scholarships originating from city and district offices, versus national grants. Such opportunities also exist in the United States, but it does not seem comparable to the sheer scale of the Australian government’s promotion of language study (presumably to increase trade as well as influence within the region). For example, to study in Indonesia, Korea, Thailand, Malaysia Vietnam, etc. many large grants are available.

 

Myself and classmates enjoying the best fried chicken the side-streets of Seoul has to offer!

 

On the surface, it seems that there is either a conscious or latent push from China and Australia, as well as a distinct pull from Korea, to invest in the Korean marketplace. In fact, during my summer at SNU, President Xi Jinping of China came to give a talk at the university. This singular visit was, and continues to be, coveted with much fanfare in Korea as signaling a key alliance between the two nations. As for the Australian students, many have observed that there is a need for their country to capitalize on both the skills and connections such programs can provide

What I have come to realize is that South Korea is viewed within the region as a land of opportunity. In the United States, interest in Korea is often limited to Korean pop-culture and the tacit peace with North Korea. This narrow focus is furthered by the lack of a developed Korean Studies program in many US universities offering a degree in Asian Studies. Yet in Asia, Korea’s value is seen as untapped, and interests in the country span much farther beyond the pop-culture of the Korean Wave.

I have had an interesting time in Korea thus far, and there are still plenty more experiences to be had during my time here! Keep a look out for another post which will expand on my life here. Until then, I hope you are having a good summer . . . wherever you are!

-Adena

 

Nighttime shot outside of my apartment in Seoul.

 

Adena Peckler

B.A. Asian Studies, International Affairs 2015

Sigur Center 2014 Korean Language Fellow

Seoul National University, South Korea

For more posts from Korea:
Seoul Wanderings

Language Study at Seoul National University