A Quarter Century of Change: Yonsei Journal of International Studies, Vol. 4, Issue 2 (Fall/Winter 2012)
Published twice a year and managed by graduate students, the Yonsei Journal of International Studies (YJIS) is a peer-reviewed journal of international studies at Yonsei University’s Graduate School of International Studies (GSIS). Published in association with the Center for International Studies and Yonsei University Press, the journal is the first of its kind in both Korea and East Asia. With offices on the 5th floor of New Millennium Hall at Yonsei, YJIS strives to be the foremost academic voice for graduate students and junior professors in Korea and abroad.
A Quarter Century of Change: Yonsei Journal of International Studies, Vol. 4, Issue 2 (Fall/Winter 2012).
by Steven Denney
Since its establishment in 1987, Yonsei GSIS has grown from a small cohort of Korean graduate students to a large body of over 300 students coming from countries all over the world. To celebrate the occasion, the Yonsei Journal of International Studies has dedicated Volume 4, Issue 2 to Yonsei GSIS as a way of commemorating a quarter century of educating students in international studies at the graduate level. The papers, essays, and reviews published in this issue come exclusively from former or current Yonsei GSIS students as a way to showcase the academic excellence of the students who have studied, or are studying, at the school. The publications produced here are an indication of the school’s academic maturation and growth potential. Furthermore, the theme, “A Quarter Century of Change,” captures the essence of this issue’s publications. The entire issue is available at the website.
Several of the publications in this issue fall under the scope of SinoNK’s coverage. A brief description and a link are provided below.
“Media (Re)Constructions of Kim Jong-un’s Ideal Women: Ko Young-hee and Ri Sol-ju”
SinoNK analyst and YJIS Publishing and Design Manager Darcie Draudt appraises the “ideal woman” in the DPRK in her paper “Media (Re)Constructions of Kim Jong-un’s Ideal Women: Ko Young-hee and Ri Sol-ju.” This paper, like some of her previous articles on female identity published here at SinoNK, is on par with similar works on the concept within the Korean Studies discipline; Hyaeweol Choi, author of Gender and Mission Encounters in Korea, would certainly approve.
“Understanding 21st Century East Asia: the Bifurcated Regional Order and Competing Hubs Theory”
Yonsei Journal Editor in Chief and SinoNK Managing Editor Steven Denney discusses the implications of asymmetric trading relations in East Asia in his paper “Understanding 21st Century East Asia: the Bifurcated Regional Order and Competing Hubs Theory.” As he has discussed before, the structure of foreign trade is particularly important for inducing or incentivizing massive structural changes, like economic reform.
“An Argument for Economic Migrants: Poverty as a Coercive Mechanism”
Dylan Irons, a recent Yonsei graduate, takes a markedly political and moral stance in “An Argument for Economic Migrants: Poverty as a Coercive Mechanism.” In this paper, Irons shows how poverty is used by the Kim regime in North Korea “to wage economic warfare against its perceived domestic enemies” and highlights China’s reluctance to recognize North Korean defectors on Chinese soil as refugees, many of whom are fleeing their native land because of poverty.
“Reflecting on the ‘Chosun Strategy’ of 1880”
In an essay entitled “Reflecting on the ‘Chosun Strategy’ of 1880,” Young June Chung, a recent GSIS graduate and current Ph.D. candidate at the Institute of International Relations at China Foreign Affairs University, analyzes Jun-hon Hwang’s Chosun Chaekryak (Chosun Strategy), a policy paper written over a 130 years ago, and the policies of post-Cold War era South Korean presidents, to draw critical lessons for Korean policymakers.
Moon Chung-in and Victor Cha Under Review
Both reviews in this issue cover books relevant to the field of Korean studies by scholars coming from both sides of the ideological divide. Eunsil Esther Park reviews South Korea’s progressive stalwart Moon Chung-in’s latest book The Sunshine Policy: in Defense of Engagement as a Path to Peace in Korea. Given the always-contentious debate surrounding the appropriateness and effectiveness of the “Sunshine Policy,” this review is both insightful and thought-provoking.
The second review, by Lee Choon-sok, provides an alternative perspective of another provocative writer’s work. Victor Cha, an establishment-conservative who worked in the George W. Bush administration, is a good contrast to Moon. Lee’s view of Cha’s book The Impossible State: North Korea, Past and Future provides readers with a view on North Korea that contrasts with that of progressives on and outside of the Korean peninsula.
Worthwhile reads from back issues
Yonsei Professor Moon Chung-in provides readers with an insightful take on a breadth of issues facing countries throughout Asia. Professor Moon’s comments provide readers with a perspective from someone who has been active in many realms of Asian affairs, spanning many years and several different administrations.
For another historical perspective, this interview with Yonsei Professor John Delury explores the historical foundations of Sino-North Korean relations. For readers of Delury’s interviews before and in the aftermath of his recent trip to the DPRK, the interview aids in going into Delury’s viewpoint on that contemporary relationship.
