[KOREAN WAVE] Korean Wave seminar to open in America

The East Asian Forum and Review is hosting a seminar on the Korean Wave this Friday at the Johns Hopkins University in Maryland.

As part of a series of seminars based on the theme "Perceptions of/within East Asia", this upcoming seminar focuses on the sudden surge of interest in Korean popular culture that has affected not only East Asia but also the broader Asian region and America.

The seminar will address issues regarding the Korean Wave, trying to answer the following questions: Why has it been so successful? What transformations has the Korean Wave gone through? And how do other societies perceive the Hallyu phenomenon?

Four speakers will address these issues through a discussion panel at the upcoming seminar.

The discussion panel will be led by Charles Armstrong, Korea Foundation professor of Korean studies and director of the Center for Korean Research at Columbia University.

A specialist in the modern history of Korea and East Asia, Armstrong has released publications on modern Korean history, East Asia's international history and U.S.-Korean relations.

Other participants in the discussion are Robert Cagle, Lee Ji-hong and John Nihoff.

Cagle is a library cinema studies specialist at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and an assistant professor of cinema studies. He has done extensive work on Korean dramas and the Korean Wave.

Lee is the international relations manager for the Korean Cultural Service New York, which is operated by Korea's Ministry of Culture and Tourism. Lee has been in charge of public and media relations since 2005.

Nihoff has worked as professor at the prestigious Culinary Institute of America for over 15 years. Recently he served as a judge on the food program "Iron Chef America" for the Asian cuisine competition. He has also served as the keynote speaker at the National Press Club on a "Taste of Korea".

By Jean Oh

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