Update on Korean Studies

lang: en

It has been two weeks since updating this blog (and an entire new election has come and gone in the United States!) I wanted to give a brief update on some of the stuff that I am working on so that it doesn't appear that I have entirely dropped off the face of the planet.

1. I am continuing to draft my research papers regarding my trip to South Korea last year. Right now, I am targeting about 6-7 essays about various topics, most of which will be independent of each other. I am hoping to finish them up over the Thanksgiving Holidays (the week of Nov. 18).

2. I am continuing to study Korean by reading Korean books. Right now, I am reading a book called 두 얼굴의 네이버 (you can read a book review of it in Korean here). It is a graphic novel depiction of Naver's corporate history, and is thus relatively bite-sized for learning a foreign language.

3. I just ordered Korea: the Impossible Country, a new book that was recently published from Tuttle. The book was been doing well in its reviews, and claims to give a more distinctive account of the culture of Korea than many other titles. We will see when I receive the book.

4. Finally, the leadership transition is underway in China as I write this. I am trying to catch up on all the news, but the best portal for it that I have found is Foreign Policy, which has a remarkable series of articles covering the transition.

Tomorrow is also 빼빼로 day, so definitely get in the spirit and eat some chocolate sticks for the holiday.