Scientific life. Congresses, conferences, and symposia

The 21st International Conference of the European Association of Korean Studies (ACSE), founded in 1977, was held from 9 to 13 April 2003 in Rome and Frascati (Italy). The conference was organized by the ACCE Presidium and the University of Rome "La Sapienza" (the organizing committee was headed by an employee of the University's Faculty of Oriental Studies, A. Bruno). The Korea Science Foundation (Republic of Korea) provided great assistance in organizing the forum.

Young specialists from Western and Eastern Europe took an active part in the conference of the European Association of Korean Studies, along with well-known scientists. The conference's guests were mostly scientists from Korean studies centers in Germany, Great Britain and France, where Korean studies has been developing most intensively in recent years, as well as from the Netherlands, Sweden, Poland, Hungary, Denmark and other countries.

The conference was divided into 12 sections:

1) Modern History; 2) Anthropology; 3) History; 4) Economics; 5) Modern Society; 6) Art, Archeology and Music; 7) Modern Literature; 8) Religion-Buddhism in the Three Kingdoms period; 9) Religion-Buddhism in the Koryo; 10) Language and Linguistics; 11) Religion - Goryeo and Joseon period; 12) Literature.

The working languages of the conference were English, Korean, and French.

The conference was attended by more than 100 representatives of leading Korean studies centers in Europe, the USA, Australia, as well as scientists from the Republic of Korea working or working in the field of Korean studies.

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internships in various European Korean studies centers. Among them are many world-famous scientists, such as the chairman of the National Committee for the Study of Korean National History Lee Song-moo, Shin Young-ha (Republic of Korea), German scientists W. Sasse, R. Frank and I. Goethel, G. Ogarek-Choi (Poland) and others. Russia was represented by scientists from Moscow, St. Petersburg and Vladivostok specializing in various fields of Korean studies, which allowed for a diverse scientific dialogue and showed the breadth and diversity of topics and research areas of Russian Korean scholars.

It is not possible to cover the presentations of all conference participants in a short review. Therefore, I will focus on the work of some sections where reports of Russian scientists were made.

The participants of the conference showed great interest in the section "New History" under the chairmanship of I. Getel. Eight reports were presented at the section.

B. B. Pak (Institute of History of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Russia) made a report "Two missions of A. N. Speyer in Seoul in 1884-1885", dedicated to the diplomatic activities in Korea of A. N. Speyer, Secretary of the Russian mission in Tokyo, who made two trips to Seoul in 1884-1885. The report is based on previously unknown documents from the Archive of Foreign Policy of the Russian Empire. The speaker highlighted the tasks assigned to Speyer by the Russian government, noted the importance of his mission to find out the actual state of affairs in Korea and the intentions of the Korean government (at that time there was no Russian representative there and the Russian Foreign Ministry did not have any information about the alignment of political forces on the peninsula), and described the reasons for the refusal of the Korean government to accept Russian military instructors.

Ho Dong-hyun (Un-t Goryeo, Republic of Korea) made a presentation on "Exploring the historical character of the Second Republic in Korea".

Kim Hyun-ah (Australian National University, Canberra) presented a report on corruption in South Korea. She noted in particular that the problem of corruption is not a distinctive feature of exclusively Asian and developing countries, but, on the contrary, is universal, as the recent scandals with Enron and other multinational corporations prove. Using the example of Korea, she examined the role and impact of political corruption in the newly industrialized countries of Asia.

Report by Cho Gwan (Un-t Goryeo, Republic of Korea) It was dedicated to the works of J. M. Chang on the history of Catholicism in Korea.

Six reports were presented at the History section. The section was led by M. Deutschler (Chair of the Center for Korean Studies at the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London).

Lee Sung Moo's account of Cho Sik's life and beliefs aroused great interest.

The audience's attention was drawn to the report of the Master of Seoul National University V. Park, who reviewed various concepts of the history of the state of Bohai (Parhae), which were followed by Korean historians of the Middle Ages. These concepts, V. Pak noted, have an impact on modern Korean historiography. She concluded that modern historians in both South and North Korea view the history of Bohai as an integral part of Korean history, while emphasizing that people of Goguryeo descent formed the ruling class of Bohai society.

The report of T. M. Simbirtseva (Int. Center for Korean Studies at Moscow State University) " Whether there were secret Russian-Korean agreements of 1885-1886." Based on the works of Russian historians, which contain extensive archival material on this issue, the author convincingly proves the groundlessness of claims about the existence of secret Russian-Korean agreements.

The topic of revising the existing assessment of the Joseon administration in the 19th century was raised by A. Karsson, a doctoral student at the School of Oriental and African Studies at the University of London, in his report " Consolation Aid in Korea in the 19th century." The hyulchon system and "Notes of a consoling and giving advice official" Jeong Konjo". According to the author of the report, in accordance with the Confucian ideology, ethical factors were of great importance in the activities of officials in the late Joseon period. Using the example of the Jong Konjo trip, which was assigned by the government to provide assistance to flood victims and maintain order in the northern parts of Pyeongan Province in the summer of 1859, he showed that during the period of

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The Joseon Dynasty received such assistance from the Government on a regular basis. This gave officials the opportunity to distinguish themselves and demonstrate their moral qualities.

R. E. Brucker (Center for Korean Studies, Leiden University), in his report "Imperial robes in Goryeo before the reign of Injong as an independent kingdom", considered the status of the ruler of Goryeo (king or emperor) depending on the color of ceremonial robes.

The section "Economics" was headed by E. Dage (University of Cologne, Germany). The section heard four reports.

In his report "The first Decade of Russian - South Korean Economic Relations: Achievements and Prospects", P. S. Leshakov (ISAA at Moscow State University) analyzed the main factors that accelerated the political rapprochement of the two countries in the late 1980s, and noted the role of the economic factor in this process. Much attention is paid to economic cooperation between the two countries in the post-Soviet reality. P. S. Leshakov highlighted the main principles of cooling Russian-South Korean economic relations, showed the impact of the financial crisis in Korea and Russia on their economic relations, and considered the prospects for further development of cooperation.

The topic of the report by R. Frank (East Asia Institute, Columbia University) is "The role of South Korea in the economic integration of Asia". He noted that none of the three main East Asian countries (China, the Republic of Korea, Japan) have yet become participants in the common East Asian market. The author tried to answer the questions of why these countries are not in a hurry to enter the path of economic integration, what effect can be expected from it, and what are the political motives for and against integration. Using the example of South Korea and its most dynamic sector-the information technology industry-he revealed the positive and negative aspects of entering the path of closer regional economic cooperation with its neighbors. In conclusion, the speaker concluded that South Korea faces the inevitability of making certain decisions and taking a pragmatic approach to this issue.

Marie-Helene Fabre (France), in the report "Sustainable High - tech city: a new Paradigm for urban development in Korea?", spoke about the new urban projects of Songto and Panke, located southwest of Incheon and south of Seoul, focusing mainly on their ideological side.

K. Fendler's report (Budapest University, Hungary)" Austro-Hungarian sources on railway construction in Korea and Manchuria before the Japanese annexation "is based on an analysis of documents stored in the Austro - Hungarian" Haus-Hof und Staatsarchiv " in Vienna. The study provides a better understanding of the situation in Korea and the Far East during this period, as well as some details of the policy of the powers in Korea.

Im Yunsil (France) and Moon Okok (Republic of Korea) made interesting presentations on Kazakh and Japanese Koreans at the "Anthropology" section.

In the section" Modern Society" A. Z. Zhebin (IDV, Russia) analyzed one of the most important mechanisms of the North Korean state-inminbans, or neighborhood groups - the lowest, basic links of government in North Korea. He considered the problem in the context of the Confucian tradition of social control and mass mobilization at the state level, showed the structure and management system of groups, their main tasks and functions aimed at preserving the existing regime in the DPRK. The author sees them as a significant factor in maintaining the stability of the North Korean system. At the same time, the speaker identifies a number of problems in the activities of the Inminbans, which requires the creation of more effective and at the same time compatible with the national tradition structures of the new political mechanism at all levels.

At the section "Modern literature" (head - D. Boucher), six reports were heard.

In her report "Some remarks on traditional elements in the early works of the contemporary South Korean poet Chong Hyeongjong", PhD student of the St. Petersburg Branch of the Institute of History of the Russian Academy of Sciences A. Guryeva examined traditional elements in his poems in the following aspects: classical models of the world, classical approach to the world in poems, classical images.

G. Ogarek-Choi made an interesting presentation " Shinphaguk (new school drama): a necessary or harmful stage in the evolution of Korean drama?". Tracing the origins of the-

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after the birth of the new school drama, its connection and influence on it of the Western theatrical tradition, she drew a conclusion about the evolution of Korean theater to modern forms of theater plays.

Further work of the conference was continued at the University "La Sapienza". The discussion revolved around a report by V. Tikhonov (University of Oslo, Norway) on the perception of Japan in the publications of the "enlightenment" kaehwa Undon movement in Korea in the 1890s. For example, Kehwa undong activists saw the Meiji reforms as a key to success and a model for Korea's transformation. Less liberal and more pro-Japanese supporters of the movement (such as Choi Sokha) admired the Japanese patriotic upbringing and elements of Confucian moralism in the "state" versions of Meiji ideology. At the same time, opponents of Japan's presence on the peninsula recognized the importance of authoritarian ideology in achieving Japan's "success" and considered it possible to use its experience in Korea. In one way or another, both of them, being influenced by nationalist pan-Asian ideas, saw Japan as a good example for Korea. The problems raised by V. Tikhonov are relevant in the study of the modern history of Korea. Therefore, the audience's reaction was mixed. Some participants of the conference shared his point of view, while others sharply criticized it.

The report of W. Sasse (University of Hamburg, Germany)" On the descriptive structure of Worin cheongan chi kok " is based on the first kwon (volume) of Korean texts with a biography of Gautama Buddha compiled by Prince Sung (later King Sejong) in 1447 by order of King Sejong.

Song Jung-bae (Seoul National University) in his report on the "Family similarity of the philosophical paradigm of Jong Yagyong (Dasan) and M. Ricci's Tienju shivi" tried to prove the similarity of the philosophical system of Dasan with the Western philosophy set out in the philosophical work of the missionary M. Ricci "Tienju shivi". According to the author, despite the fact that Dasan was based on Western philosophical thought, borrowed by him in the "Tienzhu Shivi", he nevertheless adhered to the Confucian tradition - the need for moral self-improvement of a person throughout his life. Dasan's philosophical achievements are a creative synthesis of traditional East Asian philosophy and Western philosophy, which penetrated Asia through Western missionaries in the 17th century.

Kim Tae-myun (Hannam University College of Social Sciences, Republic of Korea), in his report "A comparative study of types of interregional economic inequality in Italy and Korea", analyzed how interregional inequality changed in both countries during the economic development period from 1961 to 1990.

H. Hermans (University of Glasgow, Scotland) in her report "Korean National Identity in the Era of globalization" used data collected in East, South-East Asia and Eastern Europe in 2002.

At the section " Language and Linguistics "(head-V. Sasse) 15 reports were presented.

RSUH graduate student E. Kondratieva presented a systematic description of the grammatical categories of the predicative in the written monument of the Korean language of the XVIII century. The source for her research was a reproduced facsimile of the first volume (59 sheets) of the Psangchen Kubwon manuscript.

The conference became a significant event in the world of Korean studies, demonstrating once again the growing scientific potential of European scientific centers of Korean studies, interest in studying the history, politics, philology and economy of both modern and ancient Korea.

During the conference, the AKSE Board was re-elected. The French scientist V. Gimoz was elected President of AKSE. The city of Sheffield (Great Britain) was chosen as the venue for the next 22nd ACSE Conference.

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