This section brings together my more reflective and academically oriented writings about South Korea. While Korean Tales focuses largely on my personal experiences of living and working here, the articles in this section take a wider lens, looking at aspects of Korean society, education, culture, and other issues that have caught my attention over the years.

I write these pieces from an interesting position: I am neither Korean nor merely a visitor. I have lived and worked in South Korea for many years, particularly in higher education, and this has allowed me to observe the country both from within and from the perspective of someone who came from somewhere else. My experiences naturally shape the questions I ask and the way I understand what I see.

Some of the articles are academic in orientation and may draw on research, published studies, or my own scholarly work. Others are simply informed perspectives—attempts to examine particular aspects of Korean life beyond my immediate personal experiences. They are not intended to speak for Korea or for Koreans, but to offer the observations and reflections of someone who has spent a considerable part of his life learning from, working in, and living alongside Korean society.

Like the rest of Korean Projects, this section will continue to grow. There is still much about Korea that I do not know—and perhaps that is precisely what makes writing about it interesting.

South Korea: In the Eyes of an Expatriate

Examining South Korea’s Rise to Global Prominence: The Role of Collectivism and Nationalism

K-DREAM

Examining National Character and Development in Selected Southeast Asian Countries and South Korea