DISCOVERING SOUTH KOREA: A JOURNEY THROUGH ITS FOOD, CULTURE & GLOBALIZATION

October 9 – 21, 2024 – Hosted by Seungsook Moon, Ph.D, Professor of Sociology & Rev. Ben Caldwell

Dear Vassar alums and friends,

I am delighted to extend my invitation for you to join this special trip to South Korea, a country of dramatic and dynamic transformation. As a peninsula located among major political powers in Northeast Asia, Korea developed a distinct culture of its own, including its unique language and original alphabet system, composed of 24 letters and invented in the mid-15th century. By historically playing the role of cultural bridge between the Eurasian continent and the Pacific Ocean, Korea cultivated complex layers of beliefs and rituals stemming from Siberian Shamanism, Mahayana Buddhism, Neo-Confucianism, and Christianity. These old and new traditions have coexisted with its globalized economy and democratized politics, generating the creative bursting of cultural and economic energy and products. Highlighting food as an essential medium to explore Korea’s incredible resilience and cultural dynamism, this tour interweaves visits to iconic historical and cultural sites of traditional and contemporary Korea with its culinary globalization.

Our tour will begin with a specially curated exploration of Seoul, the 600-year-old capital and global city bustling with commercial and cultural vibe. We will visit Changdeokgung, a Royal Palace of the Chosun Dynasty (1392-1910) and UNESCO world heritage site, and its neighborhoods that have conserved aristocratic houses of traditional Korea and developed numerous museums, art galleries, crafts shops and trendy cafes intricately nestled along narrow alleys. We will end our jet-lagged first day with a healing and delicious dinner prepared by a Michelin-two-star chef, who has specialized in Korean Buddhist Temple food.

We will stroll diverse areas of cosmopolitan Seoul, including artsy and traditional Insa-dong, beautiful Cheonggyecheon (Blue Stream) Park, scintillating Myongdong, a very hip shopping district, and the historical Namdaemun Market.

After enjoying various versions of street food, we will end our days with a farm-to-table Korean dinner and a French dinner which illustrate the reinvention of these cuisines through globalization. We will travel to the South via an ultramodern high-speed train to visit Hahoe Village in Andong, a UNESCO world heritage site and surviving Confucian village and academy. Our journey will continue to Kyongju, the capital of the Buddhist (Old and Unified) Shilla Dynasty (57 BCE – 935 CE), also a UNESCO world heritage site, which has preserved one of the world’s most exquisite Buddha sculptures. Our peripatetic exploration of these sites is coupled with regional cuisine and iconic local dishes. We will travel further South to visit Busan, the second largest city and the largest port city, which has become an economic and cultural powerhouse with the Maritime Industrial Region and now the renowned International Film Festival (since 1996), the largest film festival in Asia. We will immerse ourselves in Busan’s dynamism by interweaving our visits with local and seasonal cuisines interacting with culinary globalization. Finally, we will fly to Jejudo, a volcanic island in southernmost Korea, a UNESCO natural heritage site, also listed as one of the “7 New Wonders of the World.” We will discover its natural wonders and beauty, as well as cultural sites, including museums and five-day traditional market. We will return to Seoul and visit the DMZ where militarized quarantine has ironically created a pristine natural sanctuary of diverse flora and fauna that are little affected by rapid industrialization of South Korea. Here we will meet local farmers who revived and reinvented techniques of organic farming of rice, the staple of Korean meals and a symbol of life.

As a transnational scholar of South Korea and US citizen/immigrant hailing from the country, I have traveled extensively in South Korea, Asia, North America, and Europe for my research and other scholarly activities as well as natal family visits and regenerative vacations. About two decades ago in 2003 and 2004, I led a study trip to South Korea for Asian Studies faculty members at Vassar and a group of students enrolled in my course “Social Change in South Korea through Film” respectively. As a political and cultural sociologist, I have taught various versions of a course “Food, Culture, and Globalization” not only at Vassar College, but also Goldsmiths College, University of London (Fall 2019) and Harvard University (2014 – 2015). This custom-tailored tour to South Korea in the fall of 2024 will satisfy not only your epicurean desire, but also emotional and intellectual needs for conviviality, fellowship, understanding the distinct society with lasting memories. My life partner, Rev. Ben Caldwell, will be joining me on this tour as well.

Warmest regards,

Seungsook Moon, Ph.D., Professor of Sociology

 

Meet Your Vassar Hosts

Seungsook Moon, Ph.D., Professor of Sociology

Professor Moon is a political and cultural sociologist, scholar of gender studies, and East Asianist specializing in South Korea. She grew up in Seoul, Korea and lived and worked in Boston and Cambridge, MA before moving to Vassar College. Her research evolved from feminist critiques of nationalism, militarism, democratization, and citizenship to globalization and transnationalism shaping militarism and civic agency, production and consumption of food and masculinities.

She is a recipient of notable awards, including a Fulbright Scholars Award (2004-05), an inaugural endowed-chair visiting professorship at Harvard University (2014-15), and the Laboratory Program for Korean Studies Research Grant from the Academy of Korean Studies (2018-23). She was an Associate Editor of the “Journal of Asian Studies” and has served on the editorial boards of Critical Military Studies, Gender & Society, Contemporary Sociology, Korea Journal, and Asian Women. She wrote and was consulted for articles published in the following news media: El Pais, The Economist, South China Morning Post, CNN Digital, El Periodico, Korea Herald, and Weekendavisen. In order to balance her cerebral and sedentary life, she has become an amateur Argentine Tango dancer.

Rev. Ben Caldwell

Rev. Ben Caldwell is a formally ordained minister; “Deacon” in the United Methodist Church. After earning his Master’s Degree in Public and International Affairs from the University of Pittsburgh, he earned a Master of Arts in Religion with Honors from the Lutheran Theological Seminary in Philadelphia. He also has his secular and paid employment with the Business Advisor for the Mid-Hudson Small Business Development Center SBDC New York.

Itinerary At a Glance:

Day 1. October 9. Depart the U.S. (Airfare is not included.)

Day 2. Arrival in Seoul. Lotte World Hotel

Days 3 – 5. Seoul.

Day 6. Train ride to Andong. CM Park Hotel

Day 7. Train ride to Gyeongju. Lahan Gyeongju Hotel

Day 8. Drive to Busan. Crown Harbor Hotel

Day 9. Evening flight to Jeju Island. Ocean Suite Hotel

Days 10 – 11. Jeju Island.

Day 12. Return flight to Seoul and visit to the Korean Demilitarized Zone.

Day 13. Departure day.

Trip Cost: $ 7,530 per person based on double occupancy

Single Room Supplement: $ 1,600

International airfare between the US and Seoul is not included. 

For additional information on this journey, please contact Tina Patterson at Authentic Asia at (888) 263-1170 or at tina@authenticasia.net.

To view the detailed trip brochure and registration information please click HERE.