James Joo-Jin Kim Center for Korean StudiesDear Friends,
When I wrote greetings for the end-of-year newsletter around this time last year, I could not imagine that the pandemic would still affect our lives until now, making me start this year’s newsletter with the same greeting. “I hope you and your family are doing well in these challenging times.”
Even though the academic year 2020-21 has been tough, the James Joo-Jin Kim Program in Korean Studies at the University of Pennsylvania has still achieved many accomplishments to be celebrated with you all together. Although we are dearly missing in-person colloquia, we have greatly benefited from active engagement with global audiences beyond the campus. We have seen new participants in various online-based activities across the globe. Over the year since we switched to the zoom world, we have created new connections and expanded the scope of Korean Studies we are pursuing. In facing challenges brought about by the pandemic, we have had to seek new opportunities to fundamentally shift our way of communication. This end-of-year newsletter offers a glimpse of what we have done this year.
All of these accomplishments have been possible because of the dedication and enthusiasm of our Kim Program family members – our staff, the executive committee, the Moon Family Postdoctoral Fellow, Undergraduate and Graduate Fellows, and many collaborators who have contributed to the diverse activities of the Kim Program.
I sincerely look forward to the upcoming academic year. We have become stronger as we get through the pandemic together. We are eager to be reconnected with you all in person as well as to further strengthen our newly established relationships through the virtual mode. Next year Korean Studies at the Kim Program will be even more innovative and global than ever before. We hope to see you soon!
Hyunjoon Park
Director, James Joo-Jin Kim Program in Korean Studies
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