Contemporary Seoul: A Tale of Two Cities

Emanuel Pastreich
Name in Latin Alphabet:	Emanuel Pastreich
Nationality:	USA
Affiliation:	Kyung Hee University

강연 소개

From its founding in the Choseon Dynasty, Seoul has always been a contested space. Back in the 14th century it was the Monk Muhak and the bureaucrat Jeong Dojeon who offered competing visions for the new capital. Today Seoul is one of the most vibrant cultural centers in the world. But oddly it derives much of its strength from an odd tension, and circulation, between two opposing cities within the same urban space. The first is Gangnam (South of the Han River), the brash, modern and uninhibited city of consumption, daring and innovation. Gangnam is the culture that drives Korea captured in Psy's "Gangnam Style." On the other hand there is Gangbuk (North of the Han River) the region of the old hanok houses, human scale neighborhoods and individual creativity.

But although Gangnam and Gangbuk started out as geographic terms, they now define mindsets, cultures. This talk explores the two cities that make up Seoul in historical context, suggesting how these two cultures continue to shape a unique creative ecosystem, and makes a few bold suggestions as to why Seoul may be poised to be the cultural center for this century.

강연 영상

Contemporary Seoul: A Tale of Two Cities