Short research forum from a co-written chapter of Global Asias: Tactics and Theories (2024), "Epi... more Short research forum from a co-written chapter of Global Asias: Tactics and Theories (2024), "Epistemology-Knowing from the Flesh: Disobedience, Epistemologies, and Disciplines."
The dominant narrative of diasporic Korean American history has been founded upon on the narrativ... more The dominant narrative of diasporic Korean American history has been founded upon on the narratives the Korean Independence Movement from the continental US and Hawai‘i. It centers the leaders and participants of the movement who began to mobilize diasporic Korean Americans towards a predetermined path of assimilation into US society and global cosmopolitanism – a political subjectivity that reinforces both US and Korea nationalisms. By extension, evocations of the Korean diaspora in academic discourses have also tended to reify territorial, ethnonational, and political boundaries to standardize a singular definition of the Korean diaspora centered on migration, ethnic identification, and connection to the homeland.
By contrast, “A different Diaspora” argues that such renderings tell only a partial story by historical tracing various political struggles of diasporic Korean Americans throughout the 20th century (1903-1968) who challenged narratives of compliance and assimilation defined by diasporic Korean American proximity to whiteness. Through their actions, these exiled militarists, scholars, students, and GI deserters of the US armed forces made apparent the limitation of their proximity to whiteness by imagining a different Korean American diaspora removed from the norms of subservience to white American institutions and individuals in positions of power. By placing them at the center of my story, my dissertation argues for a wider conception of the Korean diaspora that accounts for overlooked narratives such as the cultivation of cross-racial solidarities; development of critical understanding of antiblackness, Indigenous dispossession; and participation in projects of demilitarization to resist US imperialism. These enactments of an alternative worldmaking in the Korean American diaspora, practiced however fleetingly, reveal that notions of belonging are not confined by boundaries set by nation-states or the status quo of the racial-social order in the US. This dissertation thus traces what I call insurgent histories of the Korean American diaspora, focusing on how various diasporic Korean Americans at different times and places sought alternative forms of liberation and belonging. It is a genealogy of how diasporic Korean Americans came to understand and imagined beyond their proximity to whiteness to envision a different Korean American diaspora.
This thesis traces the history of Conscientious Objection and draft evasion from the introduction... more This thesis traces the history of Conscientious Objection and draft evasion from the introduction of the Universal Male Conscription system in 1949 to the end of the authoritarian dictatorship period in 1993. I especially focus on the persecution and stigmatization of religious Conscientious Objector groups such as the South Korean Jehovah's Witnesses and the Seventhday Adventists. The negative labeling of these Conscientious Objectors as social deviants is part of an initiative led by the South Korean state to solidify Universal Male Conscription as a social norm. This process was supported by the implementation of a national surveillance system as well as the intensification of a nationwide crackdown on draft evasion, which was viewed indifferently from Conscientious Objection. Thus, this project reveals the ostracization of Conscientious Objection as well as the normalization of Universal Male Conscription as an interconnected issue that came to be perpetuated throughout South Korean History. III Acknowledgements First and foremost I would like to thank my supervisor Professor Andre Schmid for guiding me through this writing process and helping me develop as a student of Korean history. I would also like to thank Professors Takashi Fujitani, Todd Henry, and Jin-kyung Lee for helping me grow as a thinker and a writer and whose works and teachings have sparked my interest in studies of subaltern and transnational identities as well as masculinity and militarism. I was lucky to have amazing sŏnbae and colleagues at the University of Toronto East Asian Studies Department who have guided me through this project. Special thanks go to Sungjo Kim, Minna Lee, and Martin Bastarache for helping me develop my thoughts during the early stages of writing as well as going out of their way to read, revise, and share their expertise. I also thank
Abstract: This paper traces the history of conscientious objection and draft evasion in Republic ... more Abstract: This paper traces the history of conscientious objection and draft evasion in Republic of Korea, from the outbreak of the Korean War in 1950 to the end of the militarized regimes in 1993. Much focus will be given to the process in which universal male conscription was established and solidified as a social norm in South Korean society. It was during the Korean War period when universal male conscription began to be negatively perceived as a “poor man’s draft” and led to rampant draft evasion that the Syngman Rhee regime (1948–1960) failed to control. The normalization process began during the militarized regime of Chung-hee Park (1961–1979), when social impetuses were established alongside hegemonic masculinity and gender hierarchy to necessitate the completion of compulsory military service for men to function in society. It also coincided with the increased criminalization of draft evasion, as well as the persecution and stigmatization of religious conscientious objectors in South Korea, such as the Jehovah’s Witnesses and the Seventh-day Adventists, who were viewed indifferently from draft evaders. The negative labeling of draft evader and conscientious objectors as social deviants was also a state-led initiative to solidify universal male conscription as a social norm. This process was supported by the implementation of a national surveillance system which made possible the intensification of a nation-wide crackdown on draft evasion and conscientious objection. Much of the historical narrative will be analyzed using Foucauldian approaches to disciplinary mechanisms; in this case, normalization, surveillance and delinquency. The successful implementation of these disciplinary mechanisms perpetuated the normalized existence of universal male conscription and the persecution of its objectors, and its firm standing in South Korean society exemplifies the power of normalization.
This thesis traces the history of Conscientious Objection and draft evasion from the introduction... more This thesis traces the history of Conscientious Objection and draft evasion from the introduction of the Universal Male Conscription system in 1949 to the end of the authoritarian dictatorship period in 1993. I especially focus on the persecution and stigmatization of religious Conscientious Objector groups such as the South Korean Jehovah’s Witnesses and the Seventhday Adventists. The negative labeling of these Conscientious Objectors as social deviants is part of an initiative led by the South Korean state to solidify Universal Male Conscription as a social norm. This process was supported by the implementation of a national surveillance system as well as the intensification of a nation-wide crackdown on draft evasion, which was viewed indifferently from Conscientious Objection. Thus, this project reveals the ostracization of Conscientious Objection as well as the normalization of Universal Male Conscription as an interconnected issue that came to be perpetuated throughout South K...
Short research forum from a co-written chapter of Global Asias: Tactics and Theories (2024), "Epi... more Short research forum from a co-written chapter of Global Asias: Tactics and Theories (2024), "Epistemology-Knowing from the Flesh: Disobedience, Epistemologies, and Disciplines."
The dominant narrative of diasporic Korean American history has been founded upon on the narrativ... more The dominant narrative of diasporic Korean American history has been founded upon on the narratives the Korean Independence Movement from the continental US and Hawai‘i. It centers the leaders and participants of the movement who began to mobilize diasporic Korean Americans towards a predetermined path of assimilation into US society and global cosmopolitanism – a political subjectivity that reinforces both US and Korea nationalisms. By extension, evocations of the Korean diaspora in academic discourses have also tended to reify territorial, ethnonational, and political boundaries to standardize a singular definition of the Korean diaspora centered on migration, ethnic identification, and connection to the homeland.
By contrast, “A different Diaspora” argues that such renderings tell only a partial story by historical tracing various political struggles of diasporic Korean Americans throughout the 20th century (1903-1968) who challenged narratives of compliance and assimilation defined by diasporic Korean American proximity to whiteness. Through their actions, these exiled militarists, scholars, students, and GI deserters of the US armed forces made apparent the limitation of their proximity to whiteness by imagining a different Korean American diaspora removed from the norms of subservience to white American institutions and individuals in positions of power. By placing them at the center of my story, my dissertation argues for a wider conception of the Korean diaspora that accounts for overlooked narratives such as the cultivation of cross-racial solidarities; development of critical understanding of antiblackness, Indigenous dispossession; and participation in projects of demilitarization to resist US imperialism. These enactments of an alternative worldmaking in the Korean American diaspora, practiced however fleetingly, reveal that notions of belonging are not confined by boundaries set by nation-states or the status quo of the racial-social order in the US. This dissertation thus traces what I call insurgent histories of the Korean American diaspora, focusing on how various diasporic Korean Americans at different times and places sought alternative forms of liberation and belonging. It is a genealogy of how diasporic Korean Americans came to understand and imagined beyond their proximity to whiteness to envision a different Korean American diaspora.
This thesis traces the history of Conscientious Objection and draft evasion from the introduction... more This thesis traces the history of Conscientious Objection and draft evasion from the introduction of the Universal Male Conscription system in 1949 to the end of the authoritarian dictatorship period in 1993. I especially focus on the persecution and stigmatization of religious Conscientious Objector groups such as the South Korean Jehovah's Witnesses and the Seventhday Adventists. The negative labeling of these Conscientious Objectors as social deviants is part of an initiative led by the South Korean state to solidify Universal Male Conscription as a social norm. This process was supported by the implementation of a national surveillance system as well as the intensification of a nationwide crackdown on draft evasion, which was viewed indifferently from Conscientious Objection. Thus, this project reveals the ostracization of Conscientious Objection as well as the normalization of Universal Male Conscription as an interconnected issue that came to be perpetuated throughout South Korean History. III Acknowledgements First and foremost I would like to thank my supervisor Professor Andre Schmid for guiding me through this writing process and helping me develop as a student of Korean history. I would also like to thank Professors Takashi Fujitani, Todd Henry, and Jin-kyung Lee for helping me grow as a thinker and a writer and whose works and teachings have sparked my interest in studies of subaltern and transnational identities as well as masculinity and militarism. I was lucky to have amazing sŏnbae and colleagues at the University of Toronto East Asian Studies Department who have guided me through this project. Special thanks go to Sungjo Kim, Minna Lee, and Martin Bastarache for helping me develop my thoughts during the early stages of writing as well as going out of their way to read, revise, and share their expertise. I also thank
Abstract: This paper traces the history of conscientious objection and draft evasion in Republic ... more Abstract: This paper traces the history of conscientious objection and draft evasion in Republic of Korea, from the outbreak of the Korean War in 1950 to the end of the militarized regimes in 1993. Much focus will be given to the process in which universal male conscription was established and solidified as a social norm in South Korean society. It was during the Korean War period when universal male conscription began to be negatively perceived as a “poor man’s draft” and led to rampant draft evasion that the Syngman Rhee regime (1948–1960) failed to control. The normalization process began during the militarized regime of Chung-hee Park (1961–1979), when social impetuses were established alongside hegemonic masculinity and gender hierarchy to necessitate the completion of compulsory military service for men to function in society. It also coincided with the increased criminalization of draft evasion, as well as the persecution and stigmatization of religious conscientious objectors in South Korea, such as the Jehovah’s Witnesses and the Seventh-day Adventists, who were viewed indifferently from draft evaders. The negative labeling of draft evader and conscientious objectors as social deviants was also a state-led initiative to solidify universal male conscription as a social norm. This process was supported by the implementation of a national surveillance system which made possible the intensification of a nation-wide crackdown on draft evasion and conscientious objection. Much of the historical narrative will be analyzed using Foucauldian approaches to disciplinary mechanisms; in this case, normalization, surveillance and delinquency. The successful implementation of these disciplinary mechanisms perpetuated the normalized existence of universal male conscription and the persecution of its objectors, and its firm standing in South Korean society exemplifies the power of normalization.
This thesis traces the history of Conscientious Objection and draft evasion from the introduction... more This thesis traces the history of Conscientious Objection and draft evasion from the introduction of the Universal Male Conscription system in 1949 to the end of the authoritarian dictatorship period in 1993. I especially focus on the persecution and stigmatization of religious Conscientious Objector groups such as the South Korean Jehovah’s Witnesses and the Seventhday Adventists. The negative labeling of these Conscientious Objectors as social deviants is part of an initiative led by the South Korean state to solidify Universal Male Conscription as a social norm. This process was supported by the implementation of a national surveillance system as well as the intensification of a nation-wide crackdown on draft evasion, which was viewed indifferently from Conscientious Objection. Thus, this project reveals the ostracization of Conscientious Objection as well as the normalization of Universal Male Conscription as an interconnected issue that came to be perpetuated throughout South K...
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Papers by Youngoh Jung
By contrast, “A different Diaspora” argues that such renderings tell only a partial story by historical tracing various political struggles of diasporic Korean Americans throughout the 20th century (1903-1968) who challenged narratives of compliance and assimilation defined by diasporic Korean American proximity to whiteness. Through their actions, these exiled militarists, scholars, students, and GI deserters of the US armed forces made apparent the limitation of their proximity to whiteness by imagining a different Korean American diaspora removed from the norms of subservience to white American institutions and individuals in positions of power. By placing them at the center of my story, my dissertation argues for a wider conception of the Korean diaspora that accounts for overlooked narratives such as the cultivation of cross-racial solidarities; development of critical understanding of antiblackness, Indigenous dispossession; and participation in projects of demilitarization to resist US imperialism. These enactments of an alternative worldmaking in the Korean American diaspora, practiced however fleetingly, reveal that notions of belonging are not confined by boundaries set by nation-states or the status quo of the racial-social order in the US. This dissertation thus traces what I call insurgent histories of the Korean American diaspora, focusing on how various diasporic Korean Americans at different times and places sought alternative forms of liberation and belonging. It is a genealogy of how diasporic Korean Americans came to understand and imagined beyond their proximity to whiteness to envision a different Korean American diaspora.
By contrast, “A different Diaspora” argues that such renderings tell only a partial story by historical tracing various political struggles of diasporic Korean Americans throughout the 20th century (1903-1968) who challenged narratives of compliance and assimilation defined by diasporic Korean American proximity to whiteness. Through their actions, these exiled militarists, scholars, students, and GI deserters of the US armed forces made apparent the limitation of their proximity to whiteness by imagining a different Korean American diaspora removed from the norms of subservience to white American institutions and individuals in positions of power. By placing them at the center of my story, my dissertation argues for a wider conception of the Korean diaspora that accounts for overlooked narratives such as the cultivation of cross-racial solidarities; development of critical understanding of antiblackness, Indigenous dispossession; and participation in projects of demilitarization to resist US imperialism. These enactments of an alternative worldmaking in the Korean American diaspora, practiced however fleetingly, reveal that notions of belonging are not confined by boundaries set by nation-states or the status quo of the racial-social order in the US. This dissertation thus traces what I call insurgent histories of the Korean American diaspora, focusing on how various diasporic Korean Americans at different times and places sought alternative forms of liberation and belonging. It is a genealogy of how diasporic Korean Americans came to understand and imagined beyond their proximity to whiteness to envision a different Korean American diaspora.