Hosted by the YU Dokdo Institute, YU Humanities Hall Auditorium on the 9th at 2 P.M.
Invite world-renowned scholars 1 - 2times per year, scheduling regular Dokdo Concerts
[March 7, 2013]

 The YU Dokdo Institute (director Choi, Jae Mok), a research institute of policies by the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, invited Park, No Ja (40, photo) a professor of East Asian Studies at University of Oslo in Norway, to hold the 'Dokdo, Life, Peace Concert' (hereinafter referred to as 'Dokdo Concert').

 The Dokdo Concert that will be held on the 9th at 2 P.M. at the YU Humanities Hall Auditorium is being opened amidst worsened Korea-Japan diplomatic relations over the Dokdo issue since the launching of the Abe regime in Japan. Through the voice of a world-renowned intellectuals, East Asian peace and a new order and direction that supercedes territory and boundaries will be searched for.

 Professor Park, No Ja who was invited as a speaker will hold a special, two-hour long lecture on 'Talking about the potential for Korea-Japan alliance and peace beyond territorial perspectives'. YU Professor Park, Hong Kyu (School Of General Education) will also participate as a debater.

 As evident in the subtitle of his lecture 'Development outlook on Korea-Japan relations based on conscience and common struggle', Professor Park uses the historical example of Korea-Japan solidarity that aimed to overcome the contradictions of colonizers/colonized, and claimed that "a 'society without categorization of nationality and prejudice of races' is the only future-oriented alternative for capitalism that is on its way to utter destruction."

 Director of the YU Dokdo Institute, Choi, Jae Mok (Department of Philosophy) who planned the event stated, "The Dokdo issue should be seen not as a territorial issue of East Asia, but from the perspective of future-oriented relations," and added, "We provided this as an opportunity for mutual communication of East Asia not for the 'solution' of the Dokdo issue, but for its 'alleviation'."

 In accordance to such goal, the YU Dokdo Institute is planning to hold Dokdo Concerts inviting prominent foreign scholars regularly once or twice a year. Furthermore, on Mary 23, they are planning to invite 13 scholars from Russia, China and Japan and hold an international academic conference under the title 'Integration and Understanding of Culture through Marine Hubs of East Asia'.

 ※ Professor Park, No Ja was born in Russia and is a progressive historian and an author and contributor who focuses on the themes of social change and social development represents anti-fascism. After graduating in the Department of Korean Studies at St. Petersburg State University of Russia, he earned his PhD at the Moscow State University Graduate School of Korean Studies. From 2000, he has been serving as a professor of East Asian Studies at the University of Oslo in Norway where teaches Korean studies. He was nationalized as a South Korean citizen in 2001.