Young students make history with RASKB
Lecturers from the Royal Asiatic Society Korea Branch (RASKB) pose with students of Dongducheon Foreign Language High School on July 12. Steve Shields is sitting in the front row fifth from right. / Courtesy of Dongducheon Foreign Language High School
By Steven L. Shields
Four Korean high school students from Dongducheon Foreign Language High School made history this year. Their essays on Korean history and culture were published in volume 93 of
Transactions of the Royal Asiatic Society-Korea Branch
. The students are the youngest published writers in the 119-year history of the RASKB.
Having learned from the Chosun Ilbo in the fall of 2018 that RASKB was enduring financial difficulties, the young students decided to do something to help. Knowing their limited budgets would not be enough to offer financial aid to the society, they chose to contribute in another way. Searching the
past issues of the RASKB Transactions
, the students decided to write essays on topics that had rarely or never been published. There were limited research materials available, and the students wrote in a foreign-to-them language (English). RASKB members were honored and moved by this heartwarming addition to the mission of the society ― the promotion, study and publication of all things Korean.
The students attended the
, held in June at the American Ambassador's official residence. They brought a teacher and some friends from school with them. Members were delighted to meet them.
On their return to school, the wheels kept turning. They shared their adventure with their peers. They organized a committee to sponsor a visit from the RASKB. What a thrill it was for four RASKB council members and officers to be invited to share in a special after-school event on Friday, July 12. Council members Jon Dunbar, Jennifer Flinn and Hong Yonjoo accompanied the author to Dongducheon.
A welcoming committee of students met the RASKB delegation at the school's front gate and escorted us to the auditorium. They prepared refreshments and displayed printed banners welcoming us. Classmates who had an interest in their country's history and culture were invited to attend. More than 100 of them filled the small auditorium.
Hong Yonjoo, who left her job as general manager of RASKB to pursue doctoral studies in translations theory at Ajou University, introduced the speakers and talked briefly about the RASKB today.
I gave a brief history of RASKB and showed photos of some of the founders, many of whom have played a foundational role in Korea's early modernization efforts. The students had done their homework very well. They knew the basic outline, and many of the personalities involved. Our discussion was interactive. I was impressed by the thoughtful questions and their obvious preparation.
Jon Dunbar, remarking that RASKB lectures on North Korea are always the most popular, gave an illustrated talk about his tourist visits to North Korea in 2010 and
. He also talked about his friend, former RASKB council member Michael Spavor. Spavor, an educator and travel organizer, was
more than six months ago on espionage charges.
Jennifer Flinn gave her
now-famous lecture on “Sex in the Kitchen.”
You can imagine how much high school students were interested in this topic. She has studied food preparation culture in Korea, from earlier years to today, and in her talk she examines the changes over time to gender performance in food preparation.
The large group then divided into three smaller groups, each following one of the three speakers. We entertained questions and conversed on our topics. The students were interested in how they could get essays published in next year's Transactions, join RASKB and attend our lectures and tours. Several students also wanted to know more about our research library, which is in Seoul.
I was intrigued about the organization of our visit and the program planning that had taken place. Throughout our afternoon, none of the school administration was present. Likewise, although we noticed a teacher or two peeking into the auditorium, they were not otherwise involved. Later we learned that although permission had been given, the students were encouraged to plan the event on their own.
The week before school ended for the summer holiday, the students held a flea market at school. They raised money to donate to RASKB's ongoing efforts to promote Korean studies.
We are looking forward to visiting the school again. One of the organizers, Lee Oneul, told us that students who could not attend were envious and asked if they could join us next time.
The cheers and applause from the students made us all feel like K-pop stars. The author has rarely met such an enthusiastic, well-prepared and attentive group of young people. The future of Korea is in good hands with these students.
Steven L. Shields, a retired cleric, serves as a vice president of the Korea Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society (www.raskb.com) and is a columnist for The Korea Times.