Seoul Colloquium in Korean Studies

(Organized by the Seoul Center of the ÉFEO and RAS Korea)

Thwarted Ambitions: Political and Bureaucratic Leadership Best Practices during Late Joseon

SPEAKER: Alexandre Haym

The March session of the Colloquium will be held at 6 pm on Thursday March 14 in the Grand Conference Room (Room number 310), of the Asiatic Research Institute, Korea University, beginning at 6:00 pm

All who wish to participate are asked to register in advance by sending an email to efeoseoul@hotmail.com

DATE: Thursday. March 14, 2024. 6:00PM

VENUE: Grand Conference Room (#310), of the Asiatic Research Institute, Korea University

[Take Exit 1 from Korea University subway station, turn right onto the footpath leading up onto the campus. Walk straight up the road past LG Posco Hall, the Business School and Main Library (all on the right hand side). The Asiatic Research Institute is the building next after the Library (Building 39 on the Campus Map http://oia.korea.ac.kr/listener.do?layout=itd_4_1 )

After 6 pm the front door of the Institute may be locked. If the door is locked, phone to the EFEO Seoul Center (02-921-4526) so that we can let you into the building.]

SUMMARY:

This research is an attempt to decipher Korea’s failure to fundamentally modernize its institutions in time at the end of the century. Relying on a neoclassical realist framework, I argue that late Joseon’s unique relationship with Qing China impacted Korean decision-makers’ perception, leading to a slow reaction to enforce structural reforms. After explaining the particular relation Late Joseon had with Qing China, I then propose a study that incorporates two intervening variables: the political leadership’s willingness to adopt best practices, and the level of elite cohesion, particularly between the royal and bureaucratic authorities.

BIO:

Alexandre Haym is a Ph.D. candidate majoring in political science at Yonsei University. His areas of interest are comparative politics, Korean and Japanese politics. He is currently editor at the French book publisher Atelier des Cahiers, and member of the French Club for Reflection and Research on Korea (CRRC).

We hope that as many as possible of you can join us for this event.

Élisabeth Chabanol, Head of the Seoul Center, French School of Asian Studies/École française d’Extrême-Orient (EFEO)

Brother Anthony, President Emeritus, Royal Asiatic Society Korea