I want to thank Kirk for his invitation to join this award winning site.
To begin with, I am a soldier in the US Army, a Colonel, and currently a professor in the Department of National Security & Strategy at the US Army War College (Carlisle, PA). I am also the Director of Asian Studies. Most of my 25 years as a soldier has been served overseas, 4 years in Germany during the Cold War, 2 years in Japan, and over 7 years in Korea. My military experience is typical with many assignments leading soldiers and working as a staff officer. I do have several policy oriented assignments at the Pentagon and Embassy Seoul. As a specialist in Japan and Korea I was fortunate enough to receive 2 years of full time Japanese training at the Defense Language Institute and the State Department school in Yokohama. I have travelled broadly throughout East Asia including the Russian Far East.
My BA is from the University of Pennsylvania (Anthropology/archaeology and Biology) that I received too long ago. I also have a MA in East Asian studies from Harvard and became ABD in History & East Asian Languages at Harvard last spring. I recently spent 6 months in Korea under a Fulbright conducting dissertation research. My interest is broadly in modern East Asia and US history and specifically in culture, ideology and the politics of history. My recent posting on Yusin is a good example of my interest. I also maintain an avid interest as a hobby in ancient East Asian history and archaeology.
I am married to Sheila Miyoshi Jager who teaches East Asian cultural history at Oberlin College in Ohio. We have three children and do our best to maintain a loving familiy despite our geographical separation.
Jiyul
Hurrah for Penn! Go Quakers!
-SAS2007
Welcome! What is the subject of the dissertation itself?
John: glad to see another Quaker here.
Jonathan: my working title is “Crisis & Ideology: Culture, Diplomacy and Mobilization in South Korea’s Quest for ‘National Restoration,’ 1968-1972.” One major part of the work will deal with the emergence of what Icall the “New Korean” (a term that PCH actually used), who represents the “modern” Korean that PCH and others wanted to create. I am working on the notion that the true “modern Korean,” on a mass basis, appeared as a result of this crisis-response-national restoration process.
Dear Colonel/ General Jiyul Kim
I have just bought “Brothers at War” but did not read it. I am a Medical Practitioner living in Brisbane Australia
since 1975, coming from (South) Viet-Nam as a refugee. In 2015 there will be a big celebration of ANZAC DAY, 100 year anniversary of the battle of Gallipoli in Turkey 1915. Australian veterans usually have a march in remembrance of the soldiers fallen for the country. I wonder You will have some interest to be in Australia on that day, 20 April 2015. The South Korean veterans their wives and children could be participating in the march as members of “Allied Forces” since Australian soldiers have been fighting in the Korean War of 1950-1953. However units of Korean regular armed forces can march as a ceremonial exercise, especially the military bands. We Vietnamese veterans (from South Vietnam) have been marching sine 1985 in Brisbane Australia as members of “allied forces”.
I would be prepared to answer further queries if this e-mail reach you.
Yours sincerely
Dr Ngoc-Thuan Ha
Brisbane Australia 4 May 2015
Dear Dr. Ha, my apologies for this very late reply. I only discovered your message on this blog by accident as I have not been active on it for years. I thank you for the information about ANZAC Day and in particular the stirring centennial of the Battle of Gallipoli that ANZAC will observe. Unfortunately I will not be able to attend although I dearly wish I could as I have never visited Australia. I wish you well and if you wish to write me again please use my e-mail to ensure that I see it in a timely manner: jiyul.kim@oberlin.edu
Sincerely,
Jiyul Kim
Colonel (Retired), U.S. Army
Oberlin, Ohio, USA