Passing of Professor Mikhail Nikolaevich Pak (1918-2009)
On April 16 this year, my teacher and the man who basically created the Korean history studies in the former USSR, Mikhail Nikolaevich Pak, has passed away. His...
Author: noja
KTX female attendants – “contingent labour” fights back
There was a time in Korean labour movement history in the 1970s when it were the female workers who actually led the most militant part of the struggle. The rea...
“Anti-americanism” – an important law of thumb
I guess it is not only my experience – looking upon the past and getting oneself surprised about “how could I say/do this?” 15 years ago, when...
“Resistant collaborators” and “collaborative resisters”
I am in a small room on Kyushu University’s campus now trying to finalize the second volume of my Russian textbook on Korea’s history, and while plo...
English craze as a modern Korean tradition
Even having seen for around 15 years how one’s ability to follow the CNN anchors’ pronounciation habits functions in South Korea as the modern equiv...
“Mass-based dictatorship”? A little info on S. Korea’s welfare policies in the 1960s
In South Korean academia, one of the most long-standing and productive discussions (I have been following it for around 3 years now, but it may have begun even ...
Patriotic School Athletics – under the Japanese and After
To observe that modern “physical culture” (athletics) training in the compulsory schooling system is something closely linked to the conscription sy...
Kim Hwanp’yo and his “Ssalpap chŏnchaeng”
Several days ago, I was happy to be presented a newly published book by the publishers who had also earlier printed two of my own books – that is, by Seou...
Prof. Yi Hŏnch’ang (이헌창) and his “Outline of Korean Economic History”
A couple of days ago, I had the happy opportunity to meet Prof. Yi Hŏnch’ang (이헌창, 고려대), one of Korea’s leading economical historians. The meeting t...
A letter from the headman of Taech’uri Village, currently in detention
Dear friends, I guess I should share with you the English text of a letter sent by Mr. Kim Chit’ae (Ji Tae), the headman of Taech’uri Village, which...
Manifesto from the Suyu Research Institute on the S.Korea-USA FTA plans – The Twilight of Empire?
Dear colleagues, Below I put the English text of the manifesto penned by two of the most promising post-nationalist scholars I know in South Korea, namely Dr. K...
Petition to reinstate expelled Korea University students
Dear colleagues, What follows below is a petition for the annulment of the severe punishment meted out by the Korea University (KoryO taehakkyo) authorities to ...
History, or politics by other means
I would like to share my musings and solicit opinions on one issue I always was interested in – namely, to what degree the ways in which states attempt to...
Market economy and exchange in ancient Korea
Dear all, one topic that might be interesting to discuss is the degree of the development of market relations, exchange economy and internal trade in early trad...
Self-introduction: Vladimir (Pak Noja)
I am working with Oslo University (Norway) currently teaching a strange combination of undergraduate and postgraduate courses, which include East Asian religion...