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Category Archives: Korea

  1. J-dramas, politics, and industry

    Yes, once again it’s my not-so-secret obsession… my addiction to soap operas. According to the girl next door, watching dramas has been very unhealthy for my psychological well-being, and I’m inclined to agree. So you may have noticed that my drama consumption has been somewhat reduced of late. Pity I just can’t give them up for good. Here is what I’ve been watching:

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    Posted in Japan, Korea, TV Dramas.

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    By qui tacet – November 20, 2008

  2. Globalization and the Korean Economy

    Pyongyang industry mural
    No, not that Korean economy. The other one. (Pyongyang railway station)

    I’ve received some e-mail (fewer than anticipated) asking whether I am still alive, so let this allay your concerns. Some of what has kept me busy since term started are my several writing commitments. One of which is for the Korea Times, in which my essay on globalization, trade and finance has been published in the Nov 1st edition. You can read it here.

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    Posted in Economics, Essays & Writing, Korea.

    4 comments

    By qui tacet – October 31, 2008

  3. Joel Wit on the North Korean nuclear weapons program

    Joel Wit, a fellow at the Center for Korean Research at Weatherhead, gave a presentation on his February “Journey to Yongbyon” (North Korean nuclear plant) with an international assessment team. It was hosted by Charles Armstrong at CKR, and Samuel Kim was there too – for a guy who’s retired he sure hangs around his old office a lot. Some interesting takeaways:

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    Posted in Korea.

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    By qui tacet – April 16, 2008

  4. Christopher Hill visits Columbia

    Chris Hill, the Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs and the head of the US delegation to the six party talks was invited to Columbia by WEAI to talk. I was not the only undergraduate present, but the room was largely graduate students and press. I sat in between mainland Chinese graduate students and this lady from a Taiwanese wire service. There were five or six television cameras at the back.

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    Posted in China, Korea.

    4 comments

    By qui tacet – March 30, 2008

  5. Microfinance education via television dramas


    Microfinance usually isn’t this dramatic…

    In July 2007, the South Korean ministry of finance announced that it had hired the lead actor and actress from a hit television serial that aired May-July to promote their microcredit program. That television serial, “War of Money” (쩐의전쟁), was about the informal moneylending industry in South Korea, reaching an average of 32.8% of households in the greater Seoul area and 31% nationwide, and it was the top-rated serial of the season, so popular that ‘bonus’ episodes were produced – it remains one of my personal all-time favorite kdramas. Much of its storyline emphasized themes of income volatility, uncollateralized credit, innovative entrepreneurship, and good (and bad) borrowing practices – all themes relevant to microfinance. In an interview prior to the serial’s airing, the lead actor Park Shin-yang (박신양, of Lovers in Paris/파리의연인 fame) had even noted that one of the sources of inspiration that he drew from was the work of Muhammad Yunus and the Grameen Bank.

    Perhaps it may be useful to take “Money’s Warfare” one step further, and consider a similar application of television serials in microfinance education, through its plot, themes, and product placement strategy.

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    Posted in China, Development, Essays & Writing, Korea, TV Dramas.

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    By qui tacet – January 17, 2008

  6. Rüdiger Frank at Weatherhead

    Rüdiger Frank from the University of Vienna came to Weatherhead to talk about North Korea’s transition to a market economy. Frank was a visiting scholar at Columbia from 2002-03 and I read a few of his papers written during that time in preparation for my term paper. Charles Armstrong introduced him as the ‘last product of East Germany’s Korea Studies program’, as he was an exchange student at Kim Il Sung daehakgyo in 1991, just after the reunification of Germany – which I suppose is when the exchanges ended. He talked a bit about his life as an exchange student, apparently it was mostly “drinking a lot of johnny walker mixed with coke” and getting on the nerves of the authorities. Also, he says NK beer tastes better than Hite, but that isn’t saying much. He also had hilarious stories about life under communism in East Germany and how the waiters were really rude because their jobs were secure and how people fed pigs subsidized bread because it was cheaper than feed. He is a powerpoint genius and I wish he was still teaching at Columbia!

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    Posted in Economics, Korea.

    2 comments

    By qui tacet – November 10, 2007

  7. AMB Kim Hyun-Chong at WEAI

    I attended Ambassador Kim Hyun-Chong’s (ROK perm rep to the UN, previously trade minister) talk today at Weatherhead. Charles Armstrong (director of Korean studies at the institute) was hosting, and his predecessor Samuel Kim made an appearance. It wasn’t very well publicized outside of the grad student circles (I wish I had more grad school friends), so it was held in the institute 9th floor lounge, with about 20-30 people attending, mostly graduate students and external visitors. Amb. Kim is a Columbia alum (law school) and great speaker, although a little less diplomatic than I expected – he’s funny in a sardonic way and doesn’t smile that much, and he had some strong words on the topic.

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    Posted in Economics, Korea.

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    By qui tacet – October 26, 2007

  8. North Korean film studies

    I rushed out of the office during lunchtime (missing yet another incredible AEI three-course lunch) to take the Metro down to the Library of Congress to attend UC Santa Barbara prof. Kim Suk-young’s presentation on “Kim Jong-il and North Korean films”. It was ridiculously hot and I had decided to wear my suit, which was a bad idea. The Metro was screwy and I was in such a rush that I went into the wrong building and had to get through security all over again. Eventually I found my way to her talk.

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    Posted in Film, Korea.

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    By qui tacet – June 26, 2007