The Kyujanggak Institute for Korean Studies at Seoul National University invites applications for two tenure-track, foreign faculty positions, one in the area of the history of the Choson dynasty and the other in the area of Korean religion.

In keeping with recent efforts to encourage diversity in its faculty, students, and curriculum, the Kyujanggak Institute for Korean Studies seeks foreign scholars of Korean studies who will contribute to SNU’s leading role in Korean studies around the world. (Visit the SNU Web site at http://www.snu.ac.kr and the Kyujanggak Web site at http://e-kyujanggak.snu.ac.kr for more information.) Particularly desired are applications from candidates who will bring diverse cultural-historical perspectives to Korean studies in Korea.

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The Center for Korean Studies spring colloquium series continues Thursday, May 1, 2008, with a presentation titled “The Process of Family Succession in Late Choson: A Case Study of Euisung Kim’s Family.” The speaker is Prof. Ki-Soo Eun of Seoul National University.

The colloquium will be held in the Center for Korean Studies conference room and will begin at 4:00 p.m. The event is free and open to the public.

Family succession in the Choson period ideally involved succession by a legitimate son, usually an eldest son born to a legitimate wife in a family. Professor Eun investigates how family succession in the Choson period functioned in a high-mortality regime by focusing on the role and process of adoption. In this colloquium, Eun presents as an example family succession of Euisung Kim’s family in the Andong area.

Ki-Soo Eun is an assistant professor of sociology at the Graduate School of International Studies, Seoul National University. He is director of Korean studies at GSIS. His main interests lie in gender and family, population change, and religion. He is a graduate of Seoul National University and received his Ph.D. at the University of Pennsylvania.

The Department of Korean History at Seoul National University invites applications for a full-time, open-rank, and tenure-track faculty position in Korean history to begin in September 2008. The department seeks an international scholar with outstanding research and teaching credentials who will play an integral role in the development, diversity, and globalization of Korean history studies.

Candidates must have earned a Ph.D. by August 2008 and will be expected to lecture in English (3 courses per semester). Excellent competence in oral and written Korean and English is essential for the position, and native-level competence will be regarded as highly desirable in assessing applications.

Candidates should submit a letter of application, curriculum vitae, descriptions of ten years’ research from now and prospective three courses, and three publications (books or articles) to Chair, Department of Korean History, Seoul National University, San 56-1, Sillim-dong Gwanak-gu, Seoul, 151-747, South Korea.

Applications should be submitted as soon as possible and no later than May 30, 2008. Short-listed candidates are likely to be interviewed by mid or late June.

For further information, contact Professor Ro Myoung-Ho at mhro@snu.ac.kr.

Professor Hyunchul Kim of Seoul National University speaks in the Center for Korean Studies colloquium series Wednesday, April 30, 2008. His topic is “The Diffusion of Retail Innovation: The Case of 7-Eleven.” The colloquium will take place in the Center for Korean Studies conference room from 4:00 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. Kim will give his presentation in Korean.

The presentation will examine how the idea of 7-Eleven was invented and subsequently has proliferated in America since its inception. Kim will also explain how 7-Eleven was introduced to Japan and Korea and what have been the consequences in both countries.

Hyunchul Kim is an associate professor of Japanese business at the Graduate School of International Studies, Seoul National University. He is now in charge of Area Studies at GSIS. He is a graduate of the School of Business Administration at SNU and received his Ph.D. at the Keio Business School in Japan. He is currently a visiting scholar at the Center for Korean Studies.

The Strategic Initiative for Korean Studies (SIKS) has announced its 2008 Publication Grant for Korean studies. The Strategic Initiative for Korean Studies was established in May 2007 in the Academy of Korean Studies with the support of the Republic of Korea Ministry of Education and provides publication grants for English translations of “100 Korean Classics” and works on modern Korea (subjects related to contemporary Korea).

A maximum of 10,000,000 Korean won will be awarded to books that are to be published by a prominent academic press in Europe or North America. Post-doctoral scholars can also apply for publication subsidies to publish their dissertations on the subject of “100 Korean Classics in English” or “Modern Korea” (priority will be given to books that deal with Korea’s economic development or democractization). For the list of “100 Korean Classics in English” see http://siks.aks.ac.kr.

To apply, submit the following documents:

• A copy of a publication contract (a provisional contract is not acceptable)
• Application for Publication Grant, which can be downloaded from http://siks.aks.ac.kr
• Resume of applicant and a list of publications

All documents should be submitted via e-mail first and the originals sent subsequently via international express. Applications must be postmarked by August 15, 2008.

For more information, see http://siks.aks.ac.kr or send e-mail to siks@aks.ac.kr.

The U.S. Army 4th Psychological Operations Group (Airborne) at Ft. Bragg, N.C., has an opening for a civilian research specialist focusing on the Korean Peninsula. Applications will be accepted through June 30, 2008. Area expertise and proficiency in Korean are required.

Candidates who have completed their Ph.D. degrees are preferred, but ABDs and holders of master’s degrees will be considered. Previous work, study, or research experience in Korea is extremely desirable. Additional knowledge of the Asia-Pacific region as a whole is a plus.

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The Department of Cross-Cultural and Regional Studies at the University of Copenhagen invites applications for an assistant professorship in East Asia/Korea beginning September 1, 2008, or as soon as possible thereafter.

Applicants must be qualified to teach on all levels in modern Korean language as well as beginner’s Sino-Korean. In addition, academic qualifications in the study of Korean culture, history, and society will be emphasized.

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The Graduate School of International Studies (GSIS) at Yonsei University seeks applicants for a full-time, tenure-track position in Korean studies. The teaching load is two courses per semester, and the position will start in September 2008. The position is open to applicants in all fields related to Korean studies.

Applicants should have at least one year of research experience since obtaining the Ph.D. or equivalent degree. To be hired, the selected applicant must have proof of legal authority to work at a private university and must be willing to act in accordance with the general Christian principles espoused by Yonsei University.

The closing date for applications is Friday, April 25, 2008 (10:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.). Applications may be submitted by mail but must arrive by the deadline.

The application form and other information are available at http://www.yonsei.ac.kr/.

For more information about the GSIS program, see http://gsis.yonsei.ac.kr.

The Center for Korean Studies spring colloquium series continues Thursday, April 24, 2008, with a presentation by critically acclaimed Korean American writer Ty Pak. The colloquium will take place from 7:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. in the Center for Korean Studies Auditorium.

Born in Korea in 1938, Pak lived through his country’s liberation from Japan in 1945, its division under U.S. and Soviet occupation, and the trauma of the Korean War, 1950–53, during which his father died. After getting his law degree at Seoul National University in 1961, he worked as a reporter for the English-language dailies, Korean Republic and Korea Times, until 1965, when he came to the United States and got his Ph.D. in English at Bowling Green State University in 1969.

After a year’s postdoctoral work at the University of California, Berkeley, he taught in the English Department at the University of Hawai‘i at Manoa from 1970 to 1987, when he took early retirement to devote himself to writing.

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The Department of History at the University of California, Berkeley, seeks one or more non-tenure-track instructors for courses on Korean history during the 2008-2009 academic year with the possibility of renewal. Both part-time and full-time positions are available. Rank and salary will depend on candidates’ qualifications.

To apply, send a letter of application, a curriculum vitae, descriptions of prospective courses, and two letters of recommendation to Chair, Department of History, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720-2550. Applications should be submitted as soon as possible, and no later than Friday, May 9, 2008.

For further information, contact the Center for Korean Studies, University of California, Berkeley, 2223 Fulton Street, Room 508, Berkeley, CA 94720-2318. Telephone: (510) 642-5674. Fax: (510) 643-9787. E-mail: cks@berkeley.edu.