FRIDAY 11 JUNE

6:30 PM

Part I
Speaker: Goo-Jae Park (Kyunghyang Daily News)
Title: Internet Media and Webocracy in Korea

Summary:
Korea now boasts one of the world's highest penetration rates in terms of fixed-line and wireless telecommunications. The country is currently the largest producer of communications equipment in Asia along with Japan. The Internet marked a new epoch in Korea society. Probably the political impact of the Internet is larger in Korea than in any other country. In Korea, the Internet has also become a powerful political weapon, threatening the dominance even of the once almighty conventional media. This talk examines what political scientists dub "webocracy (web+democracy)" in Korea and its impact upon the Korean presidential election of December 2002.

Part II
Speakers: Jaeheon Jeong (Joongang Daily News) and Nam-lin Hur (UBC)
Title: Buddhist Monks in the Imjin War, 1592-98

Summary:
What roles did Buddhist monks play in the Imjin War in 1592-98? It is well known that in Korea, Sôn monks such as Hyujông and Yujông led a righteous army against the Japanese invaders and also conducted ceasefire negotiations with Japanese generals, and that in Japan, Zen monks such as Keitetsu Genso and Seishô Jôtai were deeply involved in Hideyoshi's foreign aggression and state diplomacy while appeasing Korean war victims. By comparing the activities of these Buddhist monks in both countries, this talk explores the multifarious dynamics of Buddhism in the wartime that deflected far from the path of Buddhist enlightenment.