[RAS Korea] Oldest Korean studies group hits 1,500 lectures and counting

Brother Anthony of Taize, left, president emeritus of RAS Korea, poses with Rev. Steven L. Shields, current RAS president, during a book sale at the society's headquarters, Nov. 7, 2020. Korea Times photo by Jon Dunbar

By Steven L. Shields

Over its 123-year history, Royal Asiatic Society (RAS) Korea has sponsored almost 1,500 lectures, with only a few interruptions due to wars. James Scarth Gale, Homer B. Hulbert and George Heber Jones gave the first lectures in 1900. Lectures have continued since. Topics have been wide-ranging, from history, politics, economics, art, music, anthropology, archaeology and sociology.

After a longtime member and prolific presenter at a recent lecture asked whether he might be the record holder for the total number of lectures presented to RAS Korea, I decided to do some digging. The task is not too challenging since RAS Korea maintains a running index of all lectures ever presented. In the early days, lectures were occasional rather than scheduled. In modern times, at least since 1953 when the Korean War ended, RAS Korea has ramped up its programs, with lectures now held twice monthly.

Horace G. Underwood poses with a statue of his grandfather on Yonsei University campus in Seoul in 1982. Korea Times Archive

Here is what I discovered. As of Dec. 31, 2022, the record holder for the number of presentations to RAS Korea is the late Dr. Horace G. Underwood (1917-2004). Underwood's grandfather and namesake founded Yonsei University, and the country's first Presbyterian church, Saemoonan Church in downtown Seoul. The first Rev. Dr. Underwood was a founding member of RAS Korea, and his son, grandsons and great-grandchildren have served in its leadership or have been lifetime members.

Between 1972 and 2003, Horace G. Underwood, a longtime council member and multiple-term president, gave 18 lectures. Occasionally, his presentations were decadal repeats due to the changing audience and continued interest in some topics. Underwood had a large collection of early photos of Korea, which he shared on several occasions. He shared his unique perspective on the Korean War, having served, along with one of his brother s, as an interpreter for the United Nations Command during the drawn-out peace talks at Panmunjeom. Another highlight of Underwood's presentation was a film his father made in 1931 about a family trip to Mount Paektu. At the time, Horace G. was 14 years old.

Kim Yong-duk has been the second-most-prolific lecturer, giving 17. An emeritus professor of physics at Sogang University, he came to the historical realm after he retired from teaching about 30 years ago. He has focused on Korea's early history, specifically the first five centuries CE, dealing with the beginnings of Baekje and early Korea-Japan connections. He has published six books on the topic, has a vast YouTube channel with almost 100 lectures, and has served two terms as president of RAS Korea.

Sogang University Professor Emeritus Kim Yong-duk shows off some of his books. Courtesy of Royal Asiatic Society Korea

RAS Korea President Emeritus Brother Anthony of Taize comes in third, with an impressive 16 lectures between 1989 and 2022. Brother Anthony has two great passions, the first being traditional Korean tea culture and the second being contemporary Korean poets. He's become an internationally known translator of Korean literature, and has served for years as a judge for The Korea Times' literature translation contest. Recently, Brother Anthony translated and published a series of letters written by the first two native Korean Catholic priests, St. Andrew Kim Dae-geon and Fr. Tomas Choe (he presented his lecture on Choe early this year).

David A. Mason, an expert in Korean Buddhism and shamanism, has given 15 lectures between 1992 and 2022. Mason is hugely popular among RAS Korea members, both for his content and homespun presentation style. Mason is a much-sought tour guide as well, introducing people to Korea's deep spiritual and philosophical heritage.

David A. Mason visits a makgeolli bar in downtown Seoul after giving his latest lecture for RAS Korea on April 11. Korea Times photo by Jon Dunbar

Three people have each shared 14 lectures with RAS Korea: Robert Neff, Richard Rutt and Andrei Lankov.

Andrei Lankov appears in The Korea Times May 4, 2013. Korea Times Archive

Neff, well-known for his weekly columns in The Korea Times on Korea's modern history, has given 14 talks over the past 20 years. He came to Korea in the U.S. military, but stayed on with a passion for Korean history. He has a vast collection of historical photos from the late 19th and early 20th centuries that bring his columns to life.

Rutt was an Anglican priest, bishop and a consummate scholar who translated sijo (traditional Korean poetry) and wrote widely in the fields of anthropology and history. He passed away in 2011 at age 85.

Lankov focuses on topics related to North Korea and contemporary South Korean urban culture. Among all the lecturers at RAS Korea, he brings a unique perspective. He came to Korea in the early 1980s as a student in North Korea. His first visit to South Korea was in 1992, and he moved permanently to Seoul in 2004. His wife, Tatiana Gabroussenko, also a scholar on North Korea, gave her first lecture to RAS Korea earlier this year.

A photo of Alan Heyman published in his obituary in The Korea Times March 4, 2014. Korea Times Archive

Three others have presented between 11 and 13 RAS Korea lectures. These include musicologist Alan Heyman with 13, and second-generation missionary scholar Samuel H. Moffett with 12.

Mark Peterson, a Fulbright scholar and retired professor from Brigham Young University in Utah, rounds out the list of people who have given 11 or more lectures to RAS Korea. Peterson has discussed sociological issues of modern Korea and considered Confucianism and its effect on Korean society. He writes a regular column in Korean newspapers including The Korea Times dealing with contemporary societal matters. Peterson is a poet and has published a series of poems in English written in the ancient Korean style of sijo.

Mark Peterson poses during an interview with The Korea Times, April 9, 2019. Korea Times photo by Choi Won-suk

Jon Carter Covell's headshot published in The Korea Times Oct. 28, 1979 / Korea Times Archive

Three female scholars are tied for the most presentations to RAS Korea, with six lectures each. The late Jon Carter Covell started studying Japanese art and ceramics, then discovered that many of the artifacts she considered were, in fact, Korean. She spent a decade in Korea in the late 1970s to 1980s learning and writing about Korean art forms, much of it ceramic, but she was heavily invested in studying Buddhist and shamanic art forms. Laurel Kendall (American Museum of Natural History) studied shamanic ritual and dance forms from the late 1970s through the early 1990s and observed the traditions in their rural settings. Finally, Kathryn Weathersby (Paul Nitze School of Advanced International Studies), has spent much of her career digging through the old Soviet archives in Moscow, sorting out background information about the division of Korea, the Korean War and comparing the various sides of the story.

Kathryn Weathersby smiles at a restaurant in central Seoul after her final RAS Korea meeting, July 16, 2018. She has lectured for RAS Korea six times. Korea Times photo by Jon Dunbar

I stand in awe of these people, and others, who have made such important contributions to Korean studies over their lives. Of course, the vast majority of lecturers at RAS Korea meetings have given one or two lectures. That includes me, a man of relatively few words. I have been a member of RAS Korea for more than 40 years, but have only given two lectures ― my first was last year on Korea's money history, and my second was just a couple of weeks ago. I certainly won't be breaking Horace Underwood's record any time soon.

Rev. Steven L. Shields is president of the Royal Asiatic Society Korea (www.raskb.com) and columnist for The Korea Times. Visit raskb.com or email royalasiatickorea@gmail.com for more information about the Society.