By Ines Min
Contributing Writer
When Mark Selden, an East Asian studies scholar from the United States, got on his knees to perform the traditional Korean bow "jeol" at a memorial altar for the late former President Kim Dae-jung, Sunday, he didn't really think of it as a big deal.
"It seemed a sensible thing to do," said the professor from Cornell University. He actually bowed in the traditional manner twice, the first at Severance Hospital in a visit to the former president.
In a recent telephone interview with The Korea Times, Selden said he'd had good tutors during his first experience: namely, the eight Korean people in front of him who had stood in a line to do the same.
But it was Selden's bow at the funeral in front of City Hall that caught the attention of Korean media, when the American stood next to Wada Haruki, the Japanese scholar and activist who was an advocate in the campaign to rescue Kim from the death penalty during the previous authoritarian regime.
"Wada bowed his head, but I kneeled," Selden said. "Each of us did what seemed right."
The photos of his bow have been posted on Web sites and drew keen attention from Internet users, as it's fairly unusual to see a foreigner perform the bow.
After friends sent the professor photographs and a video recording of his bow, Selden realized that his actions had "struck a chord with some people."
As for the late former President Kim, the professor said, "I think Kim has a powerful claim to be recognized as the most important (figure), among many people, to contribute to the development of Korean democracy."
The engagement policy with North Korea, engineered by Kim, has paved the "way for a future situation that could involve fuller intercourse between the two (countries), and could eventually serve as a base for reunification," he said.
Selden added that the policy has provided a framework, but has yet to "realize the gains that we hope will emerge from it." It is too soon to judge its efficacy, which may take 10 to 20 years, he said.
Selden visited South Korea to attend the third International NGO History Conference last week, which brought in people from home and abroad, including China, Japan, the United States and European countries. He is also working on a manifesto of recommendations with other scholars to present to the countries of the North Korean six-party talks.