Dear Members and Friends of RAS Korea,

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

1) SAVE THE DATE for RAS Christmas Book Sale (Nov. 7)
Details will follow.

2) RAS Korea 2nd Annual Essay Contest
RAS Korea is pleased to announce the launch of our 2nd annual English language essay contest, open to Korean high school students. In addition to our benevolent sponsor, Asia Development Foundation, K-Heritage educational foundation is specifically sponsoring the cash prizes for winners. We are grateful to them both. For details of the contest, please click here .

3) RAS Korea Online Lecture (Oct. 13)
Topic: 
Korean Temples: The Weird and Wonderful
Date: Tuesday, October 13. 7:30-9:00PM (Seoul)
Registration is not required.

** Join Zoom Meeting:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81093355541?pwd=VnRlY2FrMWN5b0xVa0FYUXpsN2JRdz09

Meeting ID: 810 9335 5541
Passcode: 173136

4) RAS Korea’s YouTube channel – Online Lecture Video Archive
RAS Korea hav a YouTube channel.
If you missed any online lectures, you can find and watch them here.
Please click ‘Subscribe’ and ‘Like’ buttons at the RAS Korea’s Youtube channel.

5) RAS Korea Book Note:
A Concise History of Korea: From Antiquity to the Present (3rd edition)
By Michael  J. Seth. Published 2020, Rowman and Littlefield.
Available from Amazon.
The first edition was published in 2006; the second in 2016. Michael J. Seth is professor of history at James Madison University. This book is a major work of more than 600 pages. This comprehensive book surveys Korean history from Neolithic times to the present. Seth explores the origins and development of Korean society, politics, and still little-known cultural heritage from their inception to the two Korean states of today. Telling the remarkable story of the origins and evolution of a society, he shows how this ancient, culturally and ethnically homogeneous society was wrenched into the world of late-nineteenth-century imperialism, fell victim to Japanese expansionism, and then became arbitrarily divided into two opposed halves, North and South, after World War II. His bibliography alone is well worth the price of the book.

6) RAS Beijing Zoom Talk (Oct. 14)
Topic: Ulaanbaatar: A Tale of Three Cities by Michael Aldrich
Date: Wednesday, October 14. 8:00-9:00PM (Beijing) / 9:00-10:00PM (Seoul)
Register at least 24 hours before the talk by clicking here (Free only for active RAS members)

7) The GW Institute for Korean Studies (Oct. 14)
Topic: The Korean War, Remembrance, and the Making of Modern Puerto Rico
Date: Wednesday, October 14. 12:30-1:30PM (Eastern Time) / Thursday, October 15. 1:30-2:30AM (KST)
Registration by clicking here (Free)

8) The Korea Society Live Webcast (Oct. 15) 
Topic: New Views on Korean Peace Regime and Unification
Date: Thursday, October 15. 11:00AM (New York)/ Friday, October 16. 12:00AM (Seoul)
Registration by clicking here (Free).

9) 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.