U-M Nam Center for Korean Studies

U-M Nam Center for Korean Studies Welcome to the University of Michigan Nam Center for Korean Studies' page!

04/29/2026

🥁 Looking back at our incredible time with 상자루 / Sangjaru last February! 🎶

This past February, we hosted the innovative trio Sangjaru for a residency that explored the boundaries of tradition and modern creativity. Known for their "Korean Gipsy" sound, Sangjaru—whose name combines the Korean words for "box" (sangja) and "sack" (jaru) to symbolize the marriage of fixed tradition with adaptive innovation—blends traditional folk music with gypsy swing, funk, and rock.

During their visit, the group led a high-energy Pungmul masterclass for Sinaboro: Korean Percussive Ensemble and delivered a captivating collaborative performance with Michael Gould, aProfessor of Music at U-M’s School of Music, Theatre & Dance and Director of the Center for World Performance Studies.

Video recorded and edited by HallyUmich (https://www.instagram.com/hallyumich)

#상자루 #남센터

📺 Screening of , followed by a Q&A with Chien-An Yuan🗓️ Friday, May 22, 2026⏱️ 7:00 PM 9:00 PM📍 CLUSTER Museum (307 N. ...
04/24/2026

📺 Screening of , followed by a Q&A with Chien-An Yuan

🗓️ Friday, May 22, 2026
⏱️ 7:00 PM 9:00 PM
📍 CLUSTER Museum (307 N. Main St. Ann Arbor)

The Nam Center for Korean Studies is delighted to sponsor this screening hosted by Cluster museum! Known as the "Father of Video Art," Nam June Paik was a visionary who predicted our hyper-connected world decades before the internet existed. His work blended deep philosophy with playful mischief, famously using everything from magnets to ancient statues to redefine how we interact with screens.

Paik’s journey is a powerful story of resilience. Despite facing years of financial and visa struggles in New York, he stayed true to his avant-garde roots and was eventually welcomed back to Korea as a national hero. This film, Nam June Paik: The Moon is the Oldest TV, captures his electric life through rare archival footage and personal diaries, featuring peers like John Cage and Joseph Beuys.

Join us for this inspiring look at a Korean-American icon, followed by a Q&A with Chien-An Yuan, an Ann Arbor-based interdisciplinary artist, designer, and educator. Yuan is a founding member of the AAPI performance collaborative IS/LAND and runs the record label 1473. His diverse work in sound and visuals has been featured in The New Yorker and the Detroit Institute of Arts.

Free and Open to the Public

#백남준

04/22/2026

Recap of our 2026 Korean Cinema NOW!

Video credit: Rachael Kim

🎶Hapenning this Saturday at 3 pm! ⭐Step into an intimate journey through the evocative world of Korean art song, where m...
04/20/2026

🎶Hapenning this Saturday at 3 pm! ⭐
Step into an intimate journey through the evocative world of Korean art song, where memories of home, love, longing, and hope come to life — revealing the inner landscapes of the human heart and the emotions that connect us all.

For more information, please visit https://ii.umich.edu/ncks/news-events/events.detail.html/147640-21901456.html

#남센터 #조윤조 #가곡

04/20/2026

For all Michigan Pre-Service and In-Service teachers, the 2026 Graphic Novel Teacher Workshop has been rescheduled to June 30, 2026.

📆 Date: June 30, 2026 (9am - 5:30pm)
📍 Location: Weiser Hall 1010, 500 Church St Ann Arbor, MI 48109
☎️ Contact: [email protected]

A workshop for teachers on teaching graphic novels about different regions of the world. Open to K-12 In-Service & Pre-Service Teachers in Michigan.

The workshop will cover:
- History of comics in the United States and the World
- Intro to Comics Studies and using comics in the classroom
- Conversations with scholars and creators
- Teaching guide and other resources for comics at Michigan State University, University of Michigan, and around the country

Benefits for Participants:
Michigan K-12 teachers will receive SCECH hours. Upon completing the program, participants will receive graphic novel books and teaching resources for their usage.

This workshop is organized by the University of Michigan's University of Michigan Center for Southeast Asian Studies, Center for South Asian Studies at U-M, the East Asia National Resource Center (Lieberthal-Rogel Center for Chinese Studies, University of Michigan, University of Michigan Center for Japanese Studies, and the U-M Nam Center for Korean Studies) and the Asian Studies Center at Michigan State University.

For any questions, please contact Jonathan Valdez at [email protected].

✨ Highlights from the final screening of our Korean Cinema NOW 2026 series, featuring My Daughter is a Zombie.We want to...
04/18/2026

✨ Highlights from the final screening of our Korean Cinema NOW 2026 series, featuring My Daughter is a Zombie.

We want to express our heartfelt gratitude to each one of our audience for your love and support for Korean Cinema NOW.

We also extend our sincere thanks to The Michigan & State Theaters - Marquee Arts and Miss Kim/ Kim Ann Arbor for their invaluable partnership.

We look forward to seeing you all again with the Korean Cinema NOW 2027 lineup!

#남센터 #좀비딸

🎶 Happening Tomorrow! The Nam center invites you to attend in person celebration for the release of Landfill, the album ...
04/15/2026

🎶 Happening Tomorrow!
The Nam center invites you to attend in person celebration for the release of Landfill, the album on piri solo by Sunhong Kim. Kim presents solo piri pieces including Korean folksongs, Arirang, sangnyeongsan puri, and electronic piece composed by Julie Zhu. Issued by 1473 collection in Bandcamp, the album was recorded at the Duderstadt Library studio at the University of Michigan.

🎬 Don't miss the series finale! We’re closing out our 2026 Korean Cinema NOW season with My Daughter Is a Zombie (좀비딸) t...
04/14/2026

🎬 Don't miss the series finale! We’re closing out our 2026 Korean Cinema NOW season with My Daughter Is a Zombie (좀비딸) this Saturday, 1 PM at the State Theatre.

⭐️ Miss Kim & Little Kim Ann Arbor will provide snacks for the audience!
👉 No tickets required. Seating is first-come, first-serve.

There are two public parking structures near the theater:
- 320 Thompson St, Ann Arbor
- 510 E Washington St, Ann Arbor

Hope to see you all at the State Theater!

#좀비딸 #남센터

🎬 The seventh lineup of our 2026 Korean Cinema NOW series, "Voices / 목소리들" a documentary film by Jee Hyewon, will be scr...
04/01/2026

🎬 The seventh lineup of our 2026 Korean Cinema NOW series, "Voices / 목소리들" a documentary film by Jee Hyewon, will be screened this Saturday, April 4, at 1 PM at the State Theatre (233 S State St, Ann Arbor). This screening is programmed in commemoration of the Jeju 4.3 Uprising and Massacre.

More more information about the film, please visit:
https://ii.umich.edu/ncks/news-events/events.detail.html/142654-21891265.html

To learn more about the Jeju 4.3 Uprising and Massacre, visit:
http://jeju43peace.org

⭐️ Miss Kim & Little Kim Ann Arbor will provide snacks for the audience!
👉 No tickets required. Seating is first-come, first-serve.

There are two public parking structures near the theater:
- 320 Thompson St, Ann Arbor
- 510 E Washington St, Ann Arbor

Hope to see you all at the State Theater!

#지혜원 #목소리들 #제주43

Last weekend, our undergraduate research fellows participated in the Undergraduate Exchange Conference at the University...
04/01/2026

Last weekend, our undergraduate research fellows participated in the Undergraduate Exchange Conference at the University of Southern California's Korean Studies Institute (KSI). The conference brought together Korean Studies undergraduate fellows from the University of Michigan, University of Southern California, and University of Pennsylvania to present their research and connect with one another in sunny Los Angeles! The fellows from Michigan also enjoyed a morning hike at Griffith Park!

Four undergraduate fellows from the University of Michigan presented their research:
- Alexander Kim on “Paradise Lost and Paradise Regained? Competing Visions for the Future of 14th-Century Korea,”
- Spencer Lynn on “Reading the Tea Leaves of Jeju Island: Colonialism, Land Practices, and Capitalism in Post-War Korea,”
- Lydia King on “Ajŏssi Justice: The Blindside of South Korea's Democratic Journey,” and
- Leah Philips on "Manufacturing for the Globe: South Korea and COVID Vaccines."

Professor Juhn Ahn, director of the Nam Center, and John Grisafi, Korea Foundation Postdoctoral Fellow at the Nam Center, accompanied the students and participated in the conference as mentors.

— Contributed by Dr. John Grisafi, Korea Foundation Postdoctoral Fellow at the Nam Center for Korean Studies

A huge thank you to Chef Ji Hye Kim from Miss Kim for providing this delicious baby back ribs and crispy chickpeas!!! 🤌🥰...
03/28/2026

A huge thank you to Chef Ji Hye Kim from Miss Kim for providing this delicious baby back ribs and crispy chickpeas!!! 🤌🥰

Also, thank you, Madison and Alyssa, our amazing undergrad fellows, for greeting our guests!!!

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Suite 400 Weiser Hall, 500 Church Street
Ann Arbor, MI
48109

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Tuesday 8am - 5pm
Wednesday 8am - 5pm
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