The International Center for Korean Studies of Kyujanggak Institute is hosting a Book Talk series, introducing Wayne Patterson’s William Franklin Sands in Late Choson Korea: At the Deathbed of Empire, 1896-1904.

Title: William Franklin Sands in Late Choson Korea: At the Deathbed of Empire, 1896-1904
Date: July 14 (Friday) 10:00-12:00
Author: Wayne Patterson (University of Pennsylvania)
Moderator: Charles La Shure (SNU)
Discussants: Michael Kim (Yonsei Univ.), Cheolbae Son (Emeritus, Yonsei Univ.)

About the Author:
Wayne Patterson received his undergraduate degree in history from Swarthmore College and his graduate degrees (two MAs and a PhD) in history and international relations from the University of Pennsylvania. He is Professor Emeritus of modern East Asian history at St. Norbert College where he taught for more than four decades. He has also been a visiting professor at a number of universities. In the United States they include Harvard University, the University of Chicago, the University of Pennsylvania, Vanderbilt University, the University of Kansas, the University of Wisconsin-Madison, the University of Hawaii at Manoa, the University of South Carolina, the University of Maryland, and the University of California at Berkeley. He has also been a visiting professor abroad, including two as a Fulbrighter. In Korea they include Ewha University, Yonsei University, Sogang University, Chonnam National University, and Korea University. He has also been a visiting professor at the University of the Philippines-Diliman and at Hang Seng University of Hong Kong. Among his seventeen books are: The Korean Frontier in America: Immigration to Hawaii, 1896-1910; The Ilse: First-Generation Korean Immigrants in Hawaii, 1903-1973; In the Service of His Korean Majesty: William Nelson Lovatt, the Pusan Customs, and Sino-Korean Relations, 1876-1888; and William Nelson Lovatt in Late Qing China: War, Maritime Customs, and Treaty Ports, 1860-1904. In 2003, on the centennial of Korean immigration to the United States, the American Historical Association devoted an entire panel to his research at its Annual Meeting.

About the Book:
After graduation from Georgetown University in 1896, William Franklin Sands joined the US diplomatic corps as second secretary in Tokyo. His year there sparked his interest in East Asia, so when a position in Korea opened, he took it, with the help of his influential father, an admiral in the US navy. For two years he served under US Minister Horace Allen until a more powerful position opened as chief adviser to the Korean government in 1900. As the most influential foreign adviser, Sands attempted to convince Emperor Kojong to undertake reforms and to promote Korean neutrality to keep the country independent. The author argues, however, that Sands was hampered by corrupt officials who had the ear of the emperor, by the Japanese and the Russians who competed for influence and who tried to replace Sands with their own advisers, and, ironically, by Horace Allen. When he lost the confidence of Kojong and when the Russo-Japanese War broke out, Sands was forced out, having failed to maintain Korea's independence as Japan moved to take over. Although his subsequent activities included other diplomatic postings, teaching, and writing, he maintained an interest in Korea and offered his services as World War Two raged.

This lecture will be conducted in English. Please refer to the following links for in-person/online registration.
- In-person: https://forms.gle/BA2EghF5wnWT1utz6
- Online: https://forms.gle/rdHsUmhg71EXyb1DA

Please contact icks@snu.ac.kr (Tel. 02-880-9378) for more information.