Dear Members and Friends of RAS Korea,

Here’s your quick overview of what is happening around RAS Korea this week.

1) RAS Korea Online Lecture (September 8)
Topic: Finding common ground: Reconstructing contemporary Korean history with archival footage
Lecturer: Taewoong Lee
Date: Tuesday, September 8. 7:30-9:00PM (Seoul)

** Join Zoom Meeting:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82566451956?pwd=TkllVXozNTBydzZZekpxeU96NjdFdz09

Meeting ID: 825 6645 1956
Passcode: 150140

2) The Korea Society Video Release
Topic: New Narratives in Korea: Drawings for My Grandchildren with Grandpa Chan and Grandma Marina
In this interview series, we take a dive into contemporary culture in South Korea.
Grandpa Chan and Grandma Marina are influencers on Instagram, perhaps unlike anyone else you see on that platform, maybe just because of their age. Their Instagram account Drawings for My Grandchildren started in 2015, for which Grandpa Chan draws and Grandma Marina writes stories of their lives for their grandchildren. After 1100 posts and almost 400,000 followers, Grandpa Chan and Grandma Marina have been claimed by their followers all around the world as their own grandparents.
In this episode, Grandpa Chan and Grandma Marina share their adventures and success on social media, and how they stay connected and communicate with the younger generation.

3) RAS Beijing Zoom Talk (September 9)
Topic: “Chinese Travelers Lead on the Road to Recovery” by Mei Zhang, Founder of WildChina
Date: Wednesday, September 9, 2020. 9:00-10:00PM (Beijing) / 10:00-11:00PM (Seoul)
Registration by clicking here (Free for currently active RAS members only) by September 8.

4) Book Announcement: ‘The Diary of 1636: The Second Manchu Invasion of Korea‘ (by Na Man-gap)

Translated and with an Introduction by George Kallander. Published 2020 by Columbia University Press, New York. Available in hardback, paperback, and electronic through Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and other booksellers. Na, an on again off again state councilor to King Injo, began writing his private diary while the court was under siege at Namhan Sanseong (South Mountain Fortress). After the war ended, Na continued to write and reflect on what had happened. He considered how various officials had acted and the results of their action or inaction. The work was finished by 1642 when Na died. By the mid-1700s, his diary (평자록) was considered an essential classic of Korean literature. George Kallander has done a remarkable job of translating the literary Chinese into a readable English-language version and has included an extensive historical introduction. Kallander is a professor at Syracuse University. He published his work on the Tonghak movement in 2013.

5) RAS Korea Online Lecture Video Archive

If you missed the RAS Korea’s previous lectures via Zoom,
you can find and watch them via the links below.
– SAMSUNG RISING (by Geoffrey Cain)
– Practicing Korean Traditional Archery (by In-Souk Cho)
– Witnessing Gwangju (by Paul Courtright)
– Hendrick Hamel, how I became interested and did the research on the crew who stayed 13 years in Korea in the 17th century. (by Henny Savenije)
– Blistered Fingers and Bleeding Throats: The Aesthetics of Korean Traditional Music (by Jocelyn Clark)
– Making Icons: The Rise of the K-pop Adjacent Industries (by CedarBough Saeji)
– Jeju Island’s Haenyeo: A User’s Manual (by Joey Rositano)
– Exploring Korean Diaspora through Korean Cubans (by Joseph Juhn)

6) KF Virtual Concert Series: ‘STAY JOYFUL’ 
Dates: August 13 – October 15, 2020. (Every Thursday)
Freely available on the Korea Foundation’s YouTube Channel (www.youtube.com/TheKoreaFoundation)

Every Thursday, from August 13 to October 15, the Korea Foundation presents you STAY JOYFUL, a virtual concert series. Through their performances, the acclaimed artists hope to deliver messages of hope and comfort to people in Korea and around the world during these challenging times amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
<Program>
   Aug 13 (Thu). THAILAND – POOM PROMMACHART (Piano)
   Aug 20 (Thu). COSTA RICA – ALONSO TORESS & LENIN IZAGUIRRE
(Guitar & Clarinet Duo)
   Aug 27 (Thu). KOREA – SANG JI KOH (Bandoneon)
   Sep 3 (Thu). BRAZIL – MARCO PEREIRA (Guitar)
   Sep 10 (Thu). ROMANIA – ALEXANDRU TOMESCU (Violin)
   Sep 17 (Thu). MEXICO – JUAN PABLO HORCASITAS (Piano)
   Sep 24 (Thu). KOREA – BULSECHUL
(Traditional Korean Music with a contemporary twist)
   Oct 8 (Thu). THE NETHERLANDS – JAZZKIA (Jazz)
   Oct 15 (Thu). KOREA – COREYAH (Korean Folk Music)

Very best wishes.
Stay safe and healthy.