RAS Korea's inimitable Mr. Shim
Shim Sang-yeol sits with Steven L. Shields at the RAS Korea office in central Seoul, March 12. Courtesy of Steven L. Shields
Shim Sang-yeol has worked behind the scenes at the Royal Asiatic Society (RAS) Korea for 45 years. He’s been a permanent fixture in the book sales room, at lectures and at book displays at other events. In the heyday of RAS Korea’s publishing efforts, he was our chief marketing and sales manager. He visited all the major hotels, bookstores and even U.S. military installations to ensure RAS publications were fully stocked. Though the market has changed dramatically, and RAS Korea no longer publishes books, Mr. Shim continues to help whenever needed.
With a degree in microbiology, Mr. Shim landed a job in Masan (in present-day Changwon, South Gyeongsang Province) with a brewing company in 1973, working full-time in the laboratory. His scientific training was essential to the fermentation process of the beers.
In the late 1970s, a major Korean brewer bought the small brewery, and Shim became redundant. He moved back to Seoul, where his cousin suggested he get into the printing and publishing business. She said her husband needed help publishing some books. So, he founded a company he still runs today, specializing in finding the appropriate printing company for clients. But he’s winding down the business as more publishers move to digital platforms. He’s OK with that since he is well into his 80s and thinks he might retire!
Shim Sang-yeol poses with Peter Underwood at an RAS Korea book sale in Seoul, Nov. 6, 2021. Both men confirmed the cart had been in use since the 1970s in service of RAS Korea.
As the new publishing venture began, Shim's life and work became entwined with Edward B. Adams, his cousin's husband. Adams, born and raised in Korea, is the scion of a heritage missionary family in Daegu. He became an educator and eventually headed the U.S. military-dependent schools at Yongsan Garrison in Seoul. Adams was a hobbyist photographer and continued to hone his skills from his teenage years into adulthood. In 1970, he published "Through Gates of Seoul," a large-format photo book in two volumes. Adams and his wife also started the Seoul International Tourist Publishing Company. Around this time, Adams launched Seoul International School, a private school which filled a need for the ever-increasing foreign community, providing a secular counterpart to the time-honored Seoul Foreign School.
By 1979, Adams had a dozen or more books in the various stages of publishing preparation, which Shim then took to finalization, printing and distribution. RAS Korea sold a fair number of Adams' growing bibliography. His large-format coffee-table books eventually included two volumes on Korea's ceramic heritage, "Palaces of Seoul," and eventually his bestselling tourist guide, "Korea Guide," a full-color, slick-paper publication that included Adams' photos and concise narrative of almost all the places in Korea that were open to the public. To finance the cost of printing, Adams sold full-page advertising in the back of the book to various companies seeking to broaden their markets. The book was a huge success and underwent five more editions before going out of print.
Shim Sang-yeol works a table during the last RAS Korea Garden Party held at the British Embassy compound in central Seoul, Sept. 16, 2023. Korea Times photo by Jon Dunbar
Through the 1980s, Adams' books were some of the bestselling English-language books about Korea. Korea entered the world stage with the 1986 Asian Games and the 1988 Olympics. The book business was booming, Adams was well-known, and RAS Korea (of which Adams is a life-long member) reaped some of the financial benefits of bookselling.
By the late 1980s, Shim was working full-time to handle Adams' publications and working at the RAS book sales room, handling hundreds of book orders, packing and shipping worldwide and hauling book displays to all RAS Korea events. He also handled RAS Korea’s printing needs as it expanded its bibliography of historical reprints and scholarly monographs. He also helped with the massive membership base, printing and mailing monthly newsletters to almost 1,000 members who lived in Korea.
The world has changed a lot over the past 45 years. These days, there are no more printed newsletters. Except for its annual journal, no new print monographs have been published since 2004. RAS Korea maintains contact with its members and the general public through social media and email. A website in both English and Korean, archives of RAS publications and hundreds of monographs and journals have been digitized. The COVID-19 pandemic forced RAS Korea and thousands of other institutions to move to online formats. Though the pandemic is under control, webinars supplement live lectures and presentations.
For almost 100 years, RAS Korea was mostly alone in handling the task of fostering Korean studies. Now, university departments worldwide are dedicated to Asian studies and Korean studies. While there once were only two or three publishers of English language books on Korea (RAS Korea, Seoul International Publishing and Hollym), university presses turn out scholarly works on Korea by the hundreds.
Though his duties are much reduced, Shim works faithfully at the office and attends each semi-monthly RAS Korea lecture. He helps with the logistics of setting up at the lecture venue and greets old and new friends. When I asked him if he was ready for another 45 years of service, he did not hesitate. “Yes,” was his resounding response if his good health continues.
RAS Korea’s officers, staff and members are grateful for Shim’s service. Institutions like RAS Korea depend heavily on volunteers to fulfill our mission. Over the years, many have stepped up to the plate, rolled up their sleeves and jumped into the seemingly endless tasks that need to be accomplished. Thank you all. Thank you, Mr. Shim.
Rev. Steven L. Shields is president of the Royal Asiatic Society Korea and a columnist for The Korea Times. Visit raskb.com or email royalasiatickorea@gmail.com for more information about the society.