Jon Dunbar is a copy editor at The Korea Times, as well as editor of the Foreign Community page and curator of the Korea Times Archive. If you have suggestions for possible articles, or wish to contribute articles yourself, contact jdunbar@koreatimes.co.kr.
New generation carries on spirit of RAS Korea
Participants pose together at the end of the second Youth Dialogue Program in Seoul, Jan. 25. Courtesy of Youth Dialogue Program
By Jon Dunbar
Royal Asiatic Society (RAS) Korea, the world's oldest Korean studies organization, officially closed down late last year, but a younger generation has stepped up to carry on its scholarly mission and spirit.
A group of young people is preparing for the fourth roundtable event of the Youth Dialogue Program (YDP), to be held this Sunday at 4 p.m. at Space UM near Seoul Station. The title will be “How We Resolve Inequality Between Developing and Developed Countries — Focusing on Development Cooperation among Developing Countries," and the speakers will include students from Gachon University's United Nations Student Association. Participation costs 8,000 won and RSVPing is recommended. The event is held in both English and Korean.
A poster for the upcoming Youth Dialogue Program roundtable / Courtesy of Youth Dialogue Program
The YDP is an offshoot of RAS Korea, founded by graduates of Dongducheon Foreign Language High School (DFL) in northern Gyeonggi Province.
"I wanted to spread the value and capability [of] how RAS could contribute to the young generation," YDP President Kim Gyu-han, who had previously served as president of RAS Korea's Dongducheon chapter, told The Korea Times. "The key characteristic of RAS is that various lectures are held with subject-related expertise, which could be rarely seen in public. By holding a roundtable discussion by the youth panel combined with the capability of RAS, I believed that it could provide a wide perspective of global insight, discover various diversity and promote young RAS members."
Kim first encountered RAS Korea when some of its members visited DFL while he was a student. "I got attracted to RAS because I could learn Korean culture or related topics [through] lectures by foreigners, which was an uncommon experience for me," Kim said. "RAS Korea was the opportunity for me to view global perspectives of Korea in different ways than I had learned before in Korea."
After graduating, he enrolled in international studies at the Catholic University of Korea in Seoul, where he was able to attend some RAS Korea events before the organization closed down. In its wake, he and four other DFL graduates founded YDP.
He explained that YDP is not officially part of RAS Korea, although it represents some continuity while the organization vies for a reboot.
"It is not an official event but we have received unofficial support from RAS," he said. "The most important assistance we got from RAS would be human resources, which is the critical factor to continue our dialogue program. Even though RAS Korea is defunct, we could maintain interaction with RAS officials, which is crucial."
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So far, the YDP has organized three events. They discuss various topics, starting from the future of RAS Korea to exploring the differences in the education systems of Korea and the United States. YDP events feature a roundtable with six to eight speakers.
Most of the participants are university students, and they also invite experts to take part. For the February program, they were joined by officials from the Green Climate Fund and an English professor to discuss climate change.
Email youthdialogue2025@gmail.com for more information.