뉴스레터

Completion Ceremony for 4^th Class of Dokdo Experience Center Guardians

On July 20, the Foundation held the completion ceremony for the fourth class of Dokdo Experience Center guardians. The Dokdo Experience Center guardians are teenagers that are recruited as part of Dokdo promotion and education. The guardians are supposed to help the Dokdo Experience Center’s weekend tour guides and program operations. The fourth class was recruited in December and consisted of 16 teenagers who were active from January through June. The completion ceremony was dedicated to activity assessment, suggestions for improvement, and the delivery of completion certificates and souvenirs. A total of 46 guardians belonging to the first to the fourth class performed guardian activities and the fifth class (July-December, 24 teenagers) is active at present. The sixth class, which will be active in the first half of next year, will be recruited in December.

Opening Ceremony for the First Class of the Foundation’s Online Supporters

On July 23, the Foundation held an opening ceremony for the first class of online supporters in the conference room. The first class consists of four online supporters who were recruited from a group of university and graduate students across the nation. The ceremony began with a welcoming speech by Seo Hyun-ju, head of the Office of Education and Public Relations, followed by a lecture on supporters’ activities by an expert on social media publicity. For given months, the online supporters performed public relations and communication activities related to the Foundation, including creating online content concerning events and projects sponsored by the Foundation and sharing them through social media.

Dokdo Research Institute and Uiseong Jomunguk Museum in Uiseong Sign MOU

On July 23, the Foundation’s Dokdo Research Institute signed a memorandum of understanding on mutual cooperation with the Uiseong JomungukMuseum in Uiseong-gun, Gyeongsangbuk-do Province. The MOU is intended to promote cooperation for the collection, compilation, and utilization of data related to Ulleungdo and Dokdo. The museum has a lot of data related to Jang Han-sang (1656-1724) who hailed from Uiseong, Gyeongsangbuk-do Province and contributed a great deal to defending Ulleungdo. These data show how the Joseon government ruled Ulleungdo and Dokdo. Under the MOU, the institute will digitize the museum’s data related to Jang Han-sang and exploit such data for research, exhibition, and development of educational content.

International Academic Conference on

“Historical Tasks for the Resolution of the Comfort Women Issue’’

In August 14, the Foundation hosted an international academic conference under the theme of “Historical Tasks for the Resolution of Japanese Military Comfort Women” in the conference room of the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry. Held on the eve of the 74^th Liberation Day, the conference became a forum for checking the status of data and damages related to comfort women and seeking tasks for the resolution of problems on the occasion of the second official memorial day for comfort women this year. A total of eight presentations were made through the first session, “Scrutiny of Damages Related to Comfort Women,” and the second session, “Tasks for the Resolution of the Comfort Women Issue.” Several “comfort women” researchers and experts from China and Japan attended the conference, including Wang Junglon, researcher of the Dongning Fortress Museum in Heilongjiang Province; Prof. Zhou Quixiang of Dalian University of Technology; lawyer Seita Yamamoto; Prof. Humitoshi Yoshijawa of Niigata University of International and Information Studies; and Prof. Jeong Yeong-hwan of Meiji Gakuin University. The conference ended with great success as the Foundation’s Research Center on Japanese Military Comfort Women displayed its research competency and international networks following its publication of “Comfort Women Data Catalogues (I-IV)” that attracted attention from academia and the press earlier this year.

Northeast Asian History Foundation Holds Launch Ceremony for

“Global Ambassadors for Historical Diplomacy” with VANK

On July 27, the Foundation held a launch ceremony for “Global Ambassadors for Historical Diplomacy” with Voluntary Agency Network of Korea (VANK), a diplomatic cyber organization, at the grand auditorium of the National Museum of Korea. The ceremony was held to launch “Global Ambassadors for Historical Diplomacy,” tasked with publicizing Korea by encouraging teenagers and young people to develop the abilities to publicize Korean history through education about Dokdo, the East Sea, and pending historical issues in Northeast Asia. Chung Youngmi, researcher at the Dokdo Research Institute, gave a history lecture on Dokdo and the East Sea, followed by special lectures by VANK president Park Gi-tae; storytelling for overseas publicity of Korean history; activities to publicize history concerning the East Sea, Dokdo, and Korea, as well as education on the use of PR kits; mission guides and planting of dream seeds; and the vision proclamation ceremony for historical diplomacy envoys. A total of 178 middle school, high school, and university students from across the country took part in the launch ceremony, which turned 25^th this year, and expressing sincerity and passion for all of the educational programs. The Foundation will cooperate with VANK to appoint multi-lingual university students as global ambassadors of historical diplomacy and allow them discover and correct historical errors about Dokdo, the East Sea, and Korea while spreading the truth in many languages throughout the international community.