The Seoul National University Diversity Council livestreamed the “12th Central Library Book Concert with the Author: Diversity Council Recommendation Woonok YEOM” over YouTube starting from 2 P.M. on Friday, September 18. Because of social distancing requirements due to COVID-19, only the author, host, filming crew, and Diversity Council and Central Library staff were present in Kwanjeong Library’s Yang Doo Suk Hall during the event. About 80 more people watched the YouTube broadcast together on the day and actively participated in the live chatroom, while 20 people that had applied and been selected beforehand were allowed to ask questions of the author. Professor Dong-Joon Jo (Dept. of Political Science and International Relations), chair of the Diversity Council’s Sub-council for Education & Promotion, acted as host and conducted the Q&A session after each section of the author’s talk.

Dr. Yeom’s book, The Racialized Bodies, was one of 30 recommended books displayed during May and June as part of the Diversity Council-hosted exhibition “Reading Diversity”. As it deals with the birth and history of racism, the historical and regional context of social stigma related to the body, Korean ‘multiculturalism’ discourse and more, the book was selected for the “book concert” with the expectation that it would make the event an edifying time for those interested in current hot topics such as racism, racial discrimination, and hate speech. 

Dr. Yeom discussed her book in six sections, each devoted to a different topic, and received questions from participants after each one. The questions and her answers have been posted in the “News” (소식) section of the Korean version of the Diversity Council’s website, while the video of the event itself is available (in Korean, with auto-generated subtitles) on YouTube.

12th Diversity Council Recommended Book Author Event (Co-sponsored by the Central Library) Youtube [Link]