Newsletter:
The College of Social Sciences (CSS) hosted the first annual joint conference on Regional Development in East Asia: Security, Economy, and Technology on January 10, 2023. The talk was held at the university’s General Building with participation from 8 visiting scholars from Keio University of Japan and Yonsei University of South Korea, and 4 professors from NCCU’s International Doctoral Program in Asia-Pacific Studies (IDAS), Graduate Institute of Development Studies (GIDS), and the Department of Political Science.
The conference presented insight on the transformations and challenges developing in East Asia, covering a diverse range of topics from foreign policy, domestic politics, political communication, and economy and governance. More emphasis was placed on critical strategic issues facing the region, in the Keynote address by Professor Yoshihide Soeya discussing the critical aspect of identity politics complicating foreign policy and the association of national interest with the global security environment. Casting a wider gaze, Professor Wooyeal Paik connected the strategic relationship between the Indo-Pacific and Euro-Atlantic region with convergence in economic and political interest, among others.
During the afternoon section of the conference a wide scope of issues were present, including the impact of technology on domestic legitimacy, and the intensifying competition in outer space with its subsequent security dilemmas. The policy implications of political mechanism on migrant labor laws was presented by Professor Yi-Chun Chien, as well as the use of war-framing in effective communication by government agencies by Professor Jarim Kim. These were complemented by the presentations of Professor Philip Hsiao pong Liu and Lev Nachman, respectively, covering the influence of identity and the way historical memory is presented has on political reception.
Discussions during the open forum saw strong collaborative engagement among the scholars themselves, providing insights for deeper avenues of inquiry. Attendees, as well, engaged with the research presented through challenging questions, probing the findings and the application of the research. In providing valuable context and insight into the developing regional issues in East Asia, the conference was successful in enhancing both the participants and attendees knowledge base on the researches presented.
