The Korea Times
amn_close.png
amn_bl.png
National
  • Politics
  • Foreign Affairs
  • Multicultural Community
  • Defense
  • Environment & Animals
  • Law & Crime
  • Society
  • Health & Science
amn_bl.png
Business
  • Tech
  • Bio
  • Companies
  • World Expo 2030
amn_bl.png
Finance
  • Companies
  • Economy
  • Markets
  • Cryptocurrency
amn_bl.png
Opinion
  • Editorial
  • Columns
  • Thoughts of the Times
  • Cartoon
  • Today in History
  • Blogs
  • Tribune Service
  • Blondie & Garfield
  • Letter to the Editor
amn_bl.png
Lifestyle
  • Travel & Food
  • Trends
  • People & Events
  • Books
  • Around Town
  • Fortune Telling
amn_bl.png
Entertainment & Arts
  • K-pop
  • Films
  • Shows & Dramas
  • Music
  • Theater & Others
amn_bl.png
Sports
  • Hangzhou Asian Games
amn_bl.png
World
  • SCMP
  • Asia
amn_bl.png
Video
  • Korean Storytellers
  • POPKORN
  • Culture
  • People
  • News
amn_bl.png
Photos
  • Photo News
  • Darkroom
amn_NK.png amn_DR.png amn_LK.png amn_LE.png
  • bt_fb_on_2022.svgbt_fb_over_2022.svg
  • bt_twitter_on_2022.svgbt_twitter_over_2022.svg
  • bt_youtube_on_2022.svgbt_youtube_over_2022.svg
  • bt_instagram_on_2022.svgbt_instagram_over_2022.svg
The Korea Times
amn_close.png
amn_bl.png
National
  • Politics
  • Foreign Affairs
  • Multicultural Community
  • Defense
  • Environment & Animals
  • Law & Crime
  • Society
  • Health & Science
amn_bl.png
Business
  • Tech
  • Bio
  • Companies
  • World Expo 2030
amn_bl.png
Finance
  • Companies
  • Economy
  • Markets
  • Cryptocurrency
amn_bl.png
Opinion
  • Editorial
  • Columns
  • Thoughts of the Times
  • Cartoon
  • Today in History
  • Blogs
  • Tribune Service
  • Blondie & Garfield
  • Letter to the Editor
amn_bl.png
Lifestyle
  • Travel & Food
  • Trends
  • People & Events
  • Books
  • Around Town
  • Fortune Telling
amn_bl.png
Entertainment & Arts
  • K-pop
  • Films
  • Shows & Dramas
  • Music
  • Theater & Others
amn_bl.png
Sports
  • Hangzhou Asian Games
amn_bl.png
World
  • SCMP
  • Asia
amn_bl.png
Video
  • Korean Storytellers
  • POPKORN
  • Culture
  • People
  • News
amn_bl.png
Photos
  • Photo News
  • Darkroom
amn_NK.png amn_DR.png amn_LK.png amn_LE.png
  • bt_fb_on_2022.svgbt_fb_over_2022.svg
  • bt_twitter_on_2022.svgbt_twitter_over_2022.svg
  • bt_youtube_on_2022.svgbt_youtube_over_2022.svg
  • bt_instagram_on_2022.svgbt_instagram_over_2022.svg
  • Login
  • Register
  • Login
  • Register
  • The Korea Times
  • search
  • all menu
  • Login
  • Subscribe
  • Photos
  • Video
  • World
  • Sports
  • Opinion
  • Entertainment & Art
  • Lifestyle
  • Finance
  • Business
  • National
  • North Korea
  • 1

    Actor Song Joong-ki still hungry for new movie roles

  • 3

    Korea has world's highest senior poverty rate: data

  • 5

    Chuseok exodus begins ahead of extended 6-day holiday

  • 7

    Seoul Welcome Week to return for first time since pandemic

  • 9

    Korean tennis player Kwon Soon-woo embroiled in controversy after 2nd-round upset

  • 11

    INTERVIEWWellington mayor's love for Korean culture spurs collaboration

  • 13

    Rwandan artists bring diversity to Seoul's art scene

  • 15

    INTERVIEWONEUS returns as 'mermaid prince'

  • 17

    Court rejects arrest warrant for opposition leader Lee over corruption charges

  • 19

    BOK warns of worsening household debt situation

  • 2

    S. Korea flexes military might in rare parade with US in central Seoul

  • 4

    Gov't to boost Korean language education for multiethnic students

  • 6

    Guide to Chuseok celebrations across Korea

  • 8

    Hyundai Steel decides to form steel pipe unit

  • 10

    S. Korea-US alliance will end NK regime in event of nuclear weapons use, Yoon says

  • 12

    Anti-leaflet law ruled unconstitutional

  • 14

    Late Samsung chairman's love of animals helps change Korea's pet culture

  • 16

    For closer business ties between Korea, Vietnam

  • 18

    Over 100 money changers face suspensions, fines, criminal charges

  • 20

    Opposition leader Lee attends arrest warrant hearing at Seoul court

Close scrollclosebutton

Close for 24 hours

Open
  • The Korea Times
  • search
  • all menu
  • Login
  • Subscribe
  • Photos
  • Video
  • World
  • Sports
  • Opinion
  • Entertainment & Art
  • Lifestyle
  • Finance
  • Business
  • National
  • North Korea
Opinion
  • Yun Byung-se
  • Kim Won-soo
  • Ahn Ho-young
  • Kim Sang-woo
  • Lee Kyung-hwa
  • Mitch Shin
  • Peter S. Kim
  • Daniel Shin
  • Jeon Su-mi
  • Jang Daul
  • Song Kyung-jin
  • Park Jung-won
  • Cho Hee-kyoung
  • Park Chong-hoon
  • Kim Sung-woo
  • Donald Kirk
  • John Burton
  • Robert D. Atkinson
  • Mark Peterson
  • Eugene Lee
  • Rushan Ziatdinov
  • Lee Jong-eun
  • Chyung Eun-ju and Joel Cho
  • Bernhard J. Seliger
  • Imran Khalid
  • Troy Stangarone
  • Jason Lim
  • Casey Lartigue, Jr.
  • Bernard Rowan
  • Steven L. Shields
  • Deauwand Myers
  • John J. Metzler
  • Andrew Hammond
  • Sandip Kumar Mishra
Thu, September 28, 2023 | 20:44
Mark Peterson
Sejong Cultural Society
Posted : 2019-10-06 17:35
Updated : 2019-10-06 17:50
Print PreviewPrint Preview
Font Size UpFont Size Up
Font Size DownFont Size Down
  • facebook
  • twitter
  • kakaolink
  • whatsapp
  • reddit
  • mailto
  • link
By Mark Peterson

There is a wonderful group of people in Chicago that have created an organization for the promotion of Korean culture. They are called the Sejong Cultural Society. Their purpose is to promote Korean culture in the United States. They engage in three activities, primarily ― a music competition, an essay contest, and a sijo writing contest. It is the last item, the sijo contest that has brought them into my realm of interest and activity.

For several years, off and on, I have been one of their judges in their sijo writing contest. David McCann, my "seonbae" from Harvard, has also been one of their judges. They have an essay writing contest where a short story translated from Korean is often the kind of subject matter ― that brings the Korean cultural element into the essay. And they have a music competition to encourage young musicians ― Korean-Americans, and otherwise ― to compete in violin and piano. But it is the sijo contest, and the society's sijo workshop, that has brought me into their work.

The music contest and the essay contest are for precollege students and the sijo contest, too, was aimed solely at the precollege student, until last year when they opened a second division, for those who are "adult" ― college and beyond.

I have been impressed with the organization and their leader, the inspirational leader of the group is a semi-retired pediatric endocrinologist ― yes, a scientist who has devoted her later life volunteer work to the arts. Her name is Lucy Park and with the support of her husband, Ho Kim and a group of prominent Korean-Americans in the Chicago area she has contributed greatly to the enhancement of Korean culture in America and the spread of the awareness of Korea's contributions to world culture.

The organization is small, and though it claims a national focus ― and indeed the sijo contest and the essay contest bring in applicants from across the country ― the core work is done in the Chicago area. The president of the organization this year is You Shim Kim, a neonatal pediatrician and other officers of the organization are prominent Korean-Americans.

Their mission statement says: "The Sejong Cultural Society strives to advance awareness and understanding of Korea's cultural heritage amongst people in the United States by reaching out to the younger generations through contemporary creative and fine arts. It is our hope that, through this, the rich culture behind Korea's colorful history will be accessible to people of any ethnicity and nationality while being a unique part of the larger, more familiar Western culture, and that such harmonizing of the two cultures will create a better understanding between them."

Last week I attended their annual fundraising dinner. They asked me to be the keynote speaker. There, I got to meet the wonderful Korean-American support staff and membership that backup Lucy Park in her noble efforts. The fundraiser was a huge success and the dinner was complemented with entertainment by a beautiful soprano and a wonderful tenor, and a sixteen-year-old violinist who won the music competition.

They do wonderful work in helping to promote Korean culture in America. It is amazing that they get no governmental support. But rather, as a group of Korean-Americans, mostly, they raise funds from among the Korean-Americans of the Chicago area only ― they ought to fundraise among the Korean-Americans of New York, Los Angeles and other cities, too!

I know their sijo program better than their other activities. I've written about the sijo contest before and how it truly has a national reach. This is a major step forward in what I think should be the goal of Koreanists and the Korean government ― to see to the implementation of sijo writing in every school system across America. And lest this goal sound grandiose, please be reminded that Japanese haiku has achieved that very goal ― haiku is taught in every school in America. And sijo should be as well.

We need many more helpers to implement sijo across America. But since haiku has been so successful, there is a role model for sijo. And sijo is a natural follow-on to haiku in that both are short forms, three lines in both cases, both come from East Asian countries and both have a great natural appeal. We just need more people to help move the ball along. It has already started. There are several schools, here and there, across America that teach sijo now.

And the greatest reason for the current success of sijo in America has been the Sejong Cultural Society.

Thank you, Lucy Park and your associates. Thank you to the Sejong Cultural Society. Keep up the good work.


Mark Peterson (markpeterson@byu.edu) is professor emeritus of Korean, Asian and Near Eastern languages at Brigham Young University in Utah.


 
miguel
wooribank
LG
Top 10 Stories
1Chuseok exodus begins ahead of extended 6-day holiday Chuseok exodus begins ahead of extended 6-day holiday
2Guide to Chuseok celebrations across KoreaGuide to Chuseok celebrations across Korea
3Korea sees record-low births in July Korea sees record-low births in July
4Political battle intensifies after court rejects Lee's arrest warrant Political battle intensifies after court rejects Lee's arrest warrant
5Hyundai E&C to build upmarket apartment complex in Seoul's Gwanak District Hyundai E&C to build upmarket apartment complex in Seoul's Gwanak District
6DMZ Open Int'l Music Festival to be held in Goyang in November DMZ Open Int'l Music Festival to be held in Goyang in November
7Lotte focuses on health care, mobility to spur growth Lotte focuses on health care, mobility to spur growth
8Two Koreas trade barbs over nuclear war Two Koreas trade barbs over nuclear war
9Defense ministry launches project to find families of unidentified fallen Korean War soldiers Defense ministry launches project to find families of unidentified fallen Korean War soldiers
10Korea on track to prove esports prowess at Asian Games Korea on track to prove esports prowess at Asian Games
Top 5 Entertainment News
1[INTERVIEW] With '30 Days,' Kang Ha-neul finds new level of comfort in acting INTERVIEWWith '30 Days,' Kang Ha-neul finds new level of comfort in acting
2Rwandan artists bring diversity to Seoul's art scene Rwandan artists bring diversity to Seoul's art scene
3[INTERVIEW] ONEUS returns as 'mermaid prince' INTERVIEWONEUS returns as 'mermaid prince'
4Kep1er unveils 'Magic Hour' with fresh perspective on love Kep1er unveils 'Magic Hour' with fresh perspective on love
5K-pop group Kingdom recalls album cover resembling Quran K-pop group Kingdom recalls album cover resembling Quran
DARKROOM
  • Turkey-Syria earthquake

    Turkey-Syria earthquake

  • Nepal plane crash

    Nepal plane crash

  • Brazil capital uprising

    Brazil capital uprising

  • Happy New Year 2023

    Happy New Year 2023

  • World Cup 2022 Final - Argentina vs France

    World Cup 2022 Final - Argentina vs France

CEO & Publisher : Oh Young-jin
Digital News Email : webmaster@koreatimes.co.kr
Tel : 02-724-2114
Online newspaper registration No : 서울,아52844
Date of registration : 2020.02.05
Masthead : The Korea Times
Copyright © koreatimes.co.kr. All rights reserved.
  • About Us
  • Introduction
  • History
  • Contact Us
  • Products & Services
  • Subscribe
  • E-paper
  • RSS Service
  • Content Sales
  • Site Map
  • Policy
  • Code of Ethics
  • Ombudsman
  • Privacy Statement
  • Terms of Service
  • Copyright Policy
  • Family Site
  • Hankook Ilbo
  • Dongwha Group