What we’re about
RAS Korea Homepage: http://www.raskb.com
This is a group that has been around since before 1900, acting as the original Korea Studies organization, with an intentionally low-brow attitude. We have semi-monthly lectures at the Somerset Palace in Gwanghwamun, value-focused excursions throughout Korea and even abroad, plus special interest groups ranging from Korean cuisine to photography. We price ourselves as inexpensive as possible and staffed by volunteers who are passionate about their interests.
Upcoming events (2)
See all- [Korean Literature Club] 'On the Origin of Species and Other Stories'North Terrace book-cafe , Seoul
Dear Members and Friends,
For the September meeting, we will read and discuss ‘On the Origin of Species and Other Stories’, a short story collection by Bo-Young Kim. We will discuss from page 145 to the end of the book.
The meeting will be led by Jeremy Seligson and held IN-PERSON only.
WHEN_Thursday. September 11, 2025. 7:30PM (Seoul)
WHERE_B1, North Terrace Cafe (near Anguk Station or Jongno-3ga Station (Subway Line 1, 3 or 5)
LEADER_Jeremy Seligson
READ_'On the Origin of Species and Other Stories (Page 146 to the end) authored by Bo-Young Kim
ABOUT THE BOOK:
Straddling science fiction, fantasy and myth, the writings of award-winning author Bo-Young Kim have garnered a cult following in South Korea, where she is widely acknowledged as a pioneer and inspiration. On the Origin of Species makes available for the first time in English some of Kim’s most acclaimed stories, as well as an essay on science fiction. Her strikingly original, thought-provoking work teems with human and non-human beings, all of whom are striving to survive through evolution, whether biologically, technologically or socially. Kim’s literature of ideas offers some of the most rigorous and surprisingly poignant reflections on posthuman existence being written today.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Bo-Young Kim (born 1975) won the inaugural Korean Science & Technology Creative Writing Award with her first published novella in 2004 and has gone on to win the annual South Korean SF Novel Award three times. In addition to writing, she regularly serves as a lecturer, juror and editor of sci-fi anthologies, and served as a consultant to Parasite director Bong Joon Ho’s earlier sci-fi film Snowpiercer. She has novellas forthcoming from HarperCollins in 2021. She lives in Gangwon Province, South Korea, with her family.
VENUE:
The ‘North Terrace Cafe (Basement)’ is located at 12 Yulgok-ro 10-gil, Jongno-gu, Seoul. Go to Anguk Station on the Orange #3 Line. Go out Exit 4 and do an immediate U-turn on the sidewalk. Then take a right in front of the Japanese Cultural Center and walk towards Changdeok-gung, but on the opposite side of the main street (Yulgok-ro) from the palace.
- [Cultural Excursion] 'Exploring Korea's early modern history in Jeong-dong'덕수궁, Seoul
TITLE:
'Where Foreign Flags Fly:
Exploring Korea's early modern history in Jeong-dong'LEADER: Matt VanVolkenburg
DATE: Saturday. Sept. 27, 2025. 1:00PM to 5:00PM
DESTINATION: Jeong-dong
COST: W30,000 for RAS Korea lifetime and annual members; W35,000 for Non-members
MEETING POINT: Daehanmun, the front gate of Deoksugung Palace, (Subway Line 1 (Dark blue line) or 2 (Green line), City Hall Station (시청, #132, Exit 2) at 1:00PM
REGISTRATION:
RSVP by September 25 (Thursday) with payment of the fee via bank transfer.Please register one RSVP at a time.
☞Payment to be remitted to the following account:
SHINHAN BANK ACCOUNT # 100-026-383501 (RAS-KB)*Reservation is not confirmed until payment has been received by RAS Korea in advance of the event.
DESCRIPTION:
When the Joseon Kingdom opened to Japan and the West in the late nineteenth century, one neighborhood of Seoul began to grow in importance as foreign diplomats and missionaries settled there: Jeong-dong. As it became a center of foreign diplomatic power and missionary-run churches and modern schools, it was in turn chosen as the location of the new main palace, Deoksugung, in the hope that the Western powers would protect Emperor Gojong from the Japanese. These hopes turned out to be in vain, however, and Korea fell under Japanese control in the wake of the Russo-Japanese War in 1905. Despite the decades of colonialism, war, and urban development that followed, architectural remnants of this era of Korea’s tumultuous modern history can still be found in Jeong-dong, and a walk through the neighborhood will provide a window into this history.
For this excursion we will meet in front the gate of Deoksugung Palace. From there we will visit the former National Assembly and the Anglican cathedral, take a glimpse at the British Embassy, and then visit the Salvation Army building and the remains of the former Russian Legation. From there we will visit Ewha Girl’s High School, the first school for girls in Korea, and also the site of one of Korea’s earliest foreign-run hotels, the Sontag Hotel. Then we will take in the restored Jungmyeongjeon Hall, which was built as a royal library but is best known for being the place where the Eulsa Treaty, which the Japanese used to deprive Korea of its diplomatic sovereignty, and then visit the Baejae Hakdang, a missionary-run boys’ school that educated many of Korea’s future elite, now restored as a museum. From there we will visit the Jeong-dong First Methodist Church and the Seoul Museum of Art, which is housed in the colonial era-built former Korean Supreme Court building. Along the way we will learn about the missionary influence upon the neighborhood and observe various dilapidated or vanished buildings and paths that are currently being restored and discuss the preservation of the past in Jeong-dong.
The excursion will set off from Daehanmun, the front gate of Deoksugung Palace, (subway line number 1, dark blue line, or 2, green line, City Hall Station #132, exit 2) at 1:00 pm. It will last until about 5:00 and where it started. Participants may join Matt afterwards for a coffee or an early dinner (not included in the excursion fee) nearby.
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