Young People in History (Expanded Edition)

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Professor Ha Young-sun's renowned lecture, revisited after 10 years.

The expanded edition of "Young People in History" is a revised version of the author's 2010 lectures, based on half a century of research in international politics theory and history by Professor Ha Young-sun (currently Chairman of the East Asia Institute and Professor Emeritus at Seoul National University), updated for the "Young People of 2022." In the 2010 lectures, hosted by the East Asia Institute and sponsored by the Chosun Ilbo, the author introduced the intellectual genealogies of seven pioneers who significantly contributed to shaping Korea's foreign policy and perceptions from the 18th to the 21st century, as well as the thinkers of the 21st-century complexity school, and examined the implications of their stories for Korea's current foreign strategy. Starting with the circumstances that led him to encounter these "young people," the author masterfully organizes a wide range of content, from their lives and thoughts to their intellectual legacies, rediscovering their significance and connecting it to the challenges Korea faces today.

A relay race of dreams and sorrows to create space for life.

Modern and contemporary history is a record of sorrow and pain, from the chaos of the late Joseon Dynasty and the opening to foreign powers to colonial rule. However, it is also a trajectory of young people who, amidst difficult realities, confronted the historical tasks at hand and sought a path. The intellectual tradition, continuously passed down from Yeonam Park Ji-won's theory of a complex network diplomacy with Qing China, to Gudang Yu Gil-jun's dual-axis system theory, and to Minse Ahn Jae-hong's 20th-century complexity theory, formed the ideological foundation for the 21st-century complexity school. Dasan Jeong Yak-yong's political reform proposals, born from his resilience during exile; Hwanjae Park Gyu-su's salon, which awakened a new perspective in young people; Yakyeong Kim Yang-su's study of colonial international politics, which offered insights into the dynamics of cooperation and conflict; and Dongju Lee Yong-hee's Korean international politics theory, based on the 'logic of place,' were all earnest movements that critically assessed the realities of their time and pursued alternatives. This book poses a question to the young people of today: how shall we inherit their dreams and run forward?

Dreams and Imagination for 21st Century World Politics

To complement the vision of the 21st-century complexity school, the expanded edition of "Young People in History" newly includes content from the author's 2016 special lecture on "Dream World Politics" as Chapter 9. In the 21st century, major powers are engaged in fierce competition with divergent dreams, facing crises, and undergoing civilizational transformation. Chapter 9 introduces aspects of international political imagination found in various works of art and further proposes a strategy for complex diplomatic coexistence for Korea in the 21st century. The author emphasizes that Korea's future survival hinges on the younger generation's vision and imagination to set and lead new civilizational standards.

Table of Contents

Foreword to the Expanded Edition

Beginning the Lecture | We, the Young People of the Future

Lecture 1: Yeonam Park Ji-won's View of China

Encounter

1. The Rise and Future of China

2. China and the Korean Peninsula

3. Understanding China: Reading Yeonam's Travelogue

Life

1. Anguished Heartaches (1737-1767)

2. The White Pagoda Society Gathering (1768-1785)

3. Late Entry into Officialdom (1786-1805)

Knowledge

1. The Theory of Honoring China and Rejecting the Barbarians (존화양이론)

2. The Complexity of Qing Dynasty Foreign Policy

3. Joseon's Complex Network Diplomacy with Qing China

Yeonam's Legacy

Q&A

Lecture 2: Dasan Jeong Yak-yong's Frustrated Political Reforms

Encounter

1. Dongju's Matchmaking

2. Dasan's Political Approach

Life

1. Study of Practical Learning and the Cheonjinam Study Group (1762-1782)

2. Destined Encounter with King Jeongjo (1783-1800)

3. Dasan's Exile in Gangjin (1801-1818)

4. Later Years at Yeoyudang (1819-1836)

Knowledge

1. Critique of "Empty Learning" (허학) in the Joseon Dynasty

2. Confucian Studies as a Struggle for Political Legitimacy

3. Maintaining Political Power

4. Military Theory for Seizing Political Power

5. The Revival of Dasan Studies

Q&A

Lecture 3: Hwanjae Park Gyu-su's Salon for Enlightenment Thinkers

Encounter

1. The 21st Century and the 19th Century

2. The Doctrine of Rejecting Heterodoxy and Defending Orthodoxy (위정척사론)

3. Park Gyu-su's Salon

Life

1. Childhood and Seclusion (1807-1847)

2. Official Career and Service (1848-1873)

3. Park Gyu-su's Salon (1874-1877)

Knowledge

1. The Tradition of Northern Learning in Letters to Hong Yang-hu

2. The Thought of Honoring the King in "Sanggo Dohoe Munui"

3. Observing Current Affairs with a Cool Eye and Reading Ancient Books with an Open Mind

4. The Political Science of Geoga Japbokgo

5. The Influence of Byeokwi Sinpyeon Pyeong-eo and Haeguk Doji (海國圖志)

6. The General Sherman Incident and Seven Diplomatic Documents

7. The Issue of Diplomatic Correspondence in the Treaty of Joseon-Japan (1873-1876)

Hwanjae's Legacy

Q&A

Lecture 4: Gu Dang Yu Gil-jun's Triple Difficulties

Encounters

1. 'Civilization' and '文明'

2. Conceptual History Research

3. Research on the Dissemination of Concepts East and West, Ancient and Modern

Life

1. Study of Traditional Confucianism (1856-1872)

2. Study of Enlightenment Thought (1873-1882)

3. Years of Seclusion and Retirement (1885-1893)

4. Gabo Reform (1894-1895)

5. Exile in Japan (1896-1907)

6. 'A Plan for Peaceful Restoration' (1907-1914)

Knowledge

1. Theory of Civilizational Enlightenment

2. Theory of the Dual-Track System

3. Theory of Governance by the Military and the People

The Frustration of Joseon's Civilization

1. The Frustration of the Gabo Reform

2. The Failure of Balanced Development

3. The Failure to Effectively Mobilize Domestic Capabilities

Q&A

Lecture 5: Yakyeong Kim Yang-su's Unfinished Colonial International Politics

Encounters

1. The Poverty of International Politics during the Colonial Period

2. Encounter with Yakyeong (若嬰)

3. The Conceptual History of International Cooperationism

Life

1. Domestic Studies and Study Abroad in Japan (1896-1918)

2. Media Activities during the Colonial Period (1918-1930)

3. Social Activities during the Colonial Period (1930-1945)

4. Political Activities After Liberation (1945-1969)

Knowledge

1. 'Notions on Social Problems'

2. 'The World in the Past Year: The Three Major Trends Dominating the Era'

3. 'The World Trend of the Past Year',

'Balance of Power Theory and International Cooperationism'

4. 'A Historical Perspective on the Two Major Powers',

'Prospects for European International Politics'

Yakyeong's Legacy

Q&A

Lecture 6: Minse Ahn Jae-hong's Failed 20th Century Synthesis Theory

Encounters

1. Sharing 'Minse'-like Concerns

2. The Problem of Korean Nationalism

3. The History of Synthesis Theory

Life

1. Domestic Studies and Study Abroad in Japan (1891-1914)

2. Domestic Activities and Imprisonment (1915-1923)

3. The Chosun Ilbo and Shinganhoe (1924-1931)

4. Minse-ism and Joseon Studies (1932-1944)

5. Political Activities After Liberation (1945-1965)

Knowledge

1. Minse's First Period: The World of the People

2. Minse's Second Period: The Complex Theory of the New State Council

3. Minse's Third Period: National Internationalism

4. Minse's Fourth Period: New Nationalism

The Failure and Impact of Minse's 20th Century Complex Theory

Q&A

Lecture 7: Dongju Lee Yong-hee and Korean International Politics

Encounter

1. "It doesn't seem like it."

2. The International Politics of Regions and Diffusion

3. The Scholarship of Emperors

Life

1. Colonial Period (1917-1945)

2. Professorship at Seoul National University (1949-1975)

3. Period of Real-World Engagement (1975-1997)

Knowledge

1. The Beginning of Dongju's International Politics

2. "General International Politics (Vol. 1)"

3. The Dual Structure of World Politics

4. "World Politics of the Future"

The Importance of Dongju's International Politics

Q&A

Lecture 8: Decoding the Complex School: World Politics in the 21st Century

Encounter

1. From the Post-Cold War Era to Complexity

2. From Metaphor to Analysis

3. Research on the Complex Network of Korean Diplomacy

Research Content of the Complex School Meetings

The World Order After the Economic Crisis and Korea's Complex Diplomacy

1. The Future of the World Order

2. East Asian Power Distribution Map

3. U.S. Policy in East Asia

4. Chinese and Japanese Policies in East Asia

5. The North Korean Issue

6. Korea's Complex Diplomacy

The Future of the Complex School in the 21st Century

Q&A

Chapter 9: Possession: The World Politics of Dreams

1. The Dream of Actors in 21st Century World Politics

2. Imagination for 21st Century International Politics

3. The Dream of Korean International Politics in the 21st Century

4. The Dream of Middle Power Korea

Concluding the Lecture | Historical Dialogue Among Young Generations

Chronology of Figures

Notes