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Monash University Korean Studies Research Hub (MUKSRH) presents:

 

Monash Beyond Borders Korean Studies Seminar Series 2024

Seminar 5

'Witnesses to peace: Australian recollections of Korea and Koreans.'

Prof. David Hundt (Deakin University)

 

 Room 321, Learning & Teaching Building (LTB), Clayton VIC 3168 & Zoom

20th September, 2pm AEST

Abstract: 

Most accounts of Australia’s involvement in the Korean War (1950–53) have emphasised the gallantry and military acumen of its forces in particular battles such as Kapyeong, but little attention has been paid to how Australian veterans have thought about their service’s contributions to the social, political, and economic development of South Korea and to the development of Australia’s relations with an increasingly important regional partner in recent decades. There has also been little consideration of the inter-personal connections that veterans have maintained with Koreans and Korea. The collective memories of Australians who have served in Korea both during and after the war amount to a unique set of insights into the transformation of South Korea from a newly liberated but war-torn and impoverished society in the early 1950s, to a prosperous democracy in the 2020s. In this talk I discuss some preliminary findings from an ongoing oral history project that focuses on Australians who served in the war, as well as those service personnel who have represented Australia in peacekeeping and diplomatic capacities since the signing of the Armistice in 1953. Most veterans, the project shows, emphasise how Korea changed their lives profoundly, but also how their service has influenced the future trajectory of Korea and the Korean people.

Bio: 

David Hundt is an Associate Professor of International Relations at Deakin University, Melbourne. He specialises in the political economy of the Indo–Pacific region, especially in respect to Korea and Australia. He is the outgoing Editor-in-Chief of Asian Studies Review, and he has been Vice President of the ASAA since late 2023.

Register here for a ZOOM link.

Please contact Monash University Korean Studies Research Hub Coordinator

Ms Sandy Nguyen for further details.Sandy.Nguyen1@monash.edu