[RAS Korea] RAS Korea celebrates 122nd anniversary

RAS Korea President Steven L. Shields, left, and Matt VanVolkenburg, one of the editors of the RAS Korea journal, hold copies of Transactions vol. 96 at the copy shop in western Seoul. / Korea Times photo by Jon Dunbar

By Steven L. Shields

The world's oldest Korean studies organization, Royal Asiatic Society (RAS) Korea, welcomes everyone to celebrate its 122nd birthday at the RAS Korea office on June 11. This year is a grand reopening, and for the first time in decades, our annual summer event is open to the public, members, friends alike and newcomers. And best of all, free of charge.

The past two years have not been kind to RAS Korea, as the pandemic forced us to scale back our activities. After more than two years of social distancing measures, the good news is there is light at the end of the tunnel. There have been other times in RAS Korea's 122-year history when normal activities have been disrupted. Wars and political upheaval caused great losses, but dedicated members somehow rallied and kept the legacy alive.

RAS Korea lectures have been one of the best networking venues on the peninsula since the late 1950s. We've hosted more than 1,500 lectures over the decades. Most of us like to shake hands, see one another's faces up close and go for drinks or a light meal after the lecture. But, more than just an in-person event, RAS Korea's twice-monthly lectures will soon be available in a hybrid format ― held at an in-person venue coupled with an internet broadcast. Members can come to the lecture venue or join from home or office with a computer or device. The internet has opened new horizons for both audience participation and speaker availability. RAS Korea will be able to enjoy the best Korean studies scholars worldwide. Also, the list of potential presenters for our lectures has more than quadrupled. I've been in touch with scholars in many countries, and most of them are quite willing to forego the time-zone differences for a chance to give a lecture to RAS Korea. Our ever-popular walking tours have also been restarted. I think you'll find the venues and the docents to be top-notch.

The cover of vol.96 of the RAS Korea journal Transactions shows a view of Seoul taken from Mount Bukhan, photographed by Robert Koehler. / Courtesy of RAS Korea

Volunteers do much of the work of RAS Korea. A committee of several people takes care of lining up in-depth walking tours of Seoul and its environs. Docents are residents, including Koreans and expatriates, who have devoted interests in a neighborhood's often-hidden history. Editorial team members work hard each year to assemble and prepare our journal, Transactions, for publication, which is publishing its 96th volume this year, to be unveiled this Saturday. RAS Korea's ever-expanding research library of books on Korea and Asia exists because the librarian volunteers hundreds of hours a year to catalog and maintain the collection of several thousand volumes. Another volunteer has been coming to the office for more than a year to help digitize RAS Korea's extensive collection of photographic images and historical documents. As projects are completed, we look to digitize many of our rare books to make them readily accessible to more people.

RAS Korea's office and communications are handled by a more-than-full-time single staff member who works for part-time wages. She responds to dozens of emails and phone calls every day. She plans the calendar, sends notices on events and takes care of tour registrations and book sales. Her job includes tracking down information on various matters and dealing with the various government agencies and the reports, filings and other documents they require for RAS Korea to maintain its legal and tax status. One of her most significant accomplishments in the past few months has been to get RAS Korea approved as a charitable organization. From the Korean tax authorities, that approval means that RAS Korea can provide receipts for donors that can be used for individual and corporate tax filings in Korea. She refuses to spend money on a new office chair, even though the one she has been using for several years has a broken arm. We appreciate her budget-conscious approach but wish we could be more generous.

RAS Korea is grateful to have been in its current office for more than 40 years, located on the sixth floor of the Korea Christian Building on Daehangno in Seoul. The building was built in the 1960s and, at 10 stories tall, was one of the few skyscrapers in Seoul at the time. Originally housing the Christian Broadcasting Service, the several-stories-tall antenna atop the building is no longer there. Although RAS Korea's offices are in a predominantly Christian building and the Society has always had many missionaries and religious leaders as members, RAS Korea is not itself a religious organization. Its mission is entirely secular: to discover, research, promote and broadcast information about Korea's rich history and culture.

RAS Korea has continuously operated on a shoestring budget, with little extra money to put in reserve. Thankfully, we had several donors who supported the Society's work during 2019. One donor continued to provide a significant amount of budget support that allowed us to endure the tough times. Late last year, a generous member of the Society gave us the funds to buy a second computer for our digitizing projects. The new computer replaced one about 10 years old with an antiquated processing chip and several-generations-old operating system. RAS Korea is deeply grateful.
Mark your calendar for Saturday, June 11, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Join us on the first floor of our office building and enjoy camaraderie, special events including traditional music, a poetry reading and a walking tour of the history-rich neighborhood. The former home of President Syngman Rhee is nearby, and the home and church of one of RAS Korea's founders, James Scarth Gale, is across the street. You can also visit our library and bookstore on the sixth floor. The event is open-house style, so guests can come and go at their leisure. Check the RAS Korea website for a detailed schedule of events. Join us in keeping the legacy alive!

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