Pak Noja

In this Korean name, the family name is Pak.
Pak Noja
Pak, photo by Yuri Khanon, 2014
Born
Vladimir Tikhonov

(1973-02-05) February 5, 1973 (age 51)
Leningrad, Soviet Union
NationalitySouth Korean
Other namesVolodja
EducationKorean Studies, Leningrad (St.-Petersburg) State University; MA in Korean History Moscow State University (Institute of Asian and African Studies, International Centre for Korean Studies); PhD in Korean History
TitleProfessor of University of Oslo[1]
Political partyLabor Party,[2] Red Party (Norway)[3]
SpousePaik Myong-jong
Children2
Pak Noja
Hangul
박노자
Hanja
Revised RomanizationBak Noja
McCune–ReischauerPak Noja
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Vladimir Tikhonov (Russian: Влади́мир Миха́йлович Ти́хонов, romanized: Vladimir Mikhaylovich Tikhonov; born on February 5, 1973),[5] known mainly by his Korean art name Pak Noja (Korean: 박노자), is a Soviet-born Korean activist, historian, Koreanist, and writer.

Biography

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Pak was born as Vladimir Tikhonov to Russian Jewish family in Leningrad, Soviet Union. His Russian name is Vladimir Tikhonov,[6] but after immigrating to South Korea in 1997, he changed his name into a Korean name, Pak Noja and became naturalized as a South Korean citizen in 2001.[4]

Fascinated by Korean movies and classical literature during his high school days, he decided to study Korean history.[4] In his 16th year, he entered the department of Korean studies at St. Petersburg National University of Russia, and he made his first visit to Korea as an exchange student in 1991 and stayed in Seoul for about 3 months.[4]

After his bachelor's degree, Pak kept studying Korean history and was granted a doctorate from Moscow State University with his thesis about Gaya,[7] a combination of city states which lasted until the 6th century in southern part of Korea.

While working on his degree, in 1992, Pak met a Korean violinist, Paik Myong-jong (백명정, 1971- ) who was at that time studying at the Leningrad University of Russia; they married in 1995.

Pak worked on translating Korean literature into Russian and wrote several liberal arts and sociology books about Korean culture and politics, including his best-selling book, ‘your Korea (당신들의 대한민국)’. His writings made him known as one of Korea's influential progressive intellectuals, and brought on many controversial issues within Korea by sharp criticism.[8]

Pak has taught Russian at Kyunghee University of Korea, and is currently teaching Korean studies as a professor at the Department of Culture Studies and Oriental Languages, University of Oslo in Norway.[4]

Views

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About Soviet Union

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Pak views the Soviet Union as not “socialist”, but as a special kind of developmentalist society in which the state replaced both foreign and domestic private capital. He calls this "Red" Developmentalism.[9]

Statements on China

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In 2009, Pak remarked that the "Korean economy will be annexed by the Chinese economic zone within 5–10 years". The Korean left responded critically to this claim, but Pak went on to clarify his thesis. According to his column, "it is not proper, I just said inescapable".[10]

Moreover, he supported the Chinese government with respect to Liu Xiaobo's Nobel Peace Prize. Pak criticized Liu Xiaobo as a "follower of Western countries" and "a supporter of colonialism in China". According to Pak, "the process of democratization in China is not only elite, but also working-class".

Pak suggests that Liu's support in his Charter 08 of 'legislative democracy' and the 'protection of private property' raises doubts on whether "Liu Xiaobo wants a 'non-communist, dictatorial China' or a 'worker-friendly China'". Pak claims that "true reform must be undertaken by the working class".[11]

Pak is critical about China's policy on Uyghur. In a column written in 2019 he argued "Policies against the Uyghur people, whose right to survive is threatened, are reminiscent of the national annihilation measures that the Korean people experienced at the end of the Japanese colonial period."[12]

Statement about Ukraine War

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He criticized some South Korean left nationalists for supporting the Russian invasion of Ukraine. In his column in the Hankyoreh, he argued, "The courage that Ukrainian citizens are demonstrating in their struggle against aggression will long provide inspiration for Russians, too!" [13] He supports South Korea accepting Ukraine refugees however he is against South Korea's involvement in the conflict.[14]

About Hamas-Israel War

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He criticized Benjamin Netanyahu as a war criminal like Putin that should be punished and Israel is a criminal state that commits genocide worthy of being found guilty in an international court[15] but he criticized some of the leftists in South Korea support Hamas. He said “Is this thoughtless siding with the far-right group Hamas really helpful in creating peace?”[16]

Bibliography

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  • Postwar World (전쟁 이후의 세계, 2024)
  • Lectures on the History of the Russian Revolution(러시아 혁명사 강의, 2018)
  • Your Korea 2 (당신들의 대한민국2, 2006)[17]
  • I Accuse of the Century of Violence (나는 폭력의 세기를 고발한다, 2005)
  • The History which Betrayed Me (나를 배반한 역사, 2003)[8]
  • There are Right and Left but not High and Low (좌우는 있어도 위아래는 없다 (박노자의 북유럽 탐험), 2002)[8]
  • Your Korea 1 (당신들의 대한민국1, 2001)[17][18]
  • Imaginative Power Changing the 21st Century (6인 6색 21세기를 바꾸는 상상력, 2005)
  • Surviving in a Swirl of the Great Powers (열강의 소용돌이에서 살아남기, 2005)
  • Realization in My Early Days (젊은 날의 깨달음, 2005)
  • The Age of Anxieties, in the Middle of Pain (불안의 시대 고통의 한복판에서, 2005)
  • The Empire of a White Mask (하얀 가면의 제국 (오리엔탈리즘, 서구 중심의 역사를 넘어), 2003)
  • Outsiders 6,8,10,12,13 (아웃사이더 6,8,10,12,13, 2002~2003)
  • In the Front Line of Our History (우리 역사 최전선, 2003)
  • Monuments of Deserters (탈영자들의 기념비, 2003)

References

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  1. ^ "Vladimir Tikhonov". University of Oslo (in Norwegian). Retrieved 2014-03-11.
  2. ^ 박노자, 진보신당 입당의 변[permanent dead link‍]
  3. ^ "Vladimir Tikhonov (박노자)님의블로그 : 네이버 블로그". blog.naver.com. Retrieved 2024-04-19.
  4. ^ a b c d e Jeon, Ju-hui (전주희) (9 October 2002). 당신들의 대한민국]열심히 사랑한 그대, 떠나라! - 귀화 러시아인 박노자가 바라본 한국 사회의 초상 (in Korean). Newscham.net. Retrieved 2010-01-21.
  5. ^ "EzPDF WebViewer".
  6. ^ 제2회 한중일 천태학술대회 外 (in Korean). Munhwa Ilbo. 1999-11-19. Retrieved 2010-01-21.
  7. ^ 옛 소련 사학자가 쓴 ‘…고대불교사’ 譯刊 (in Korean). Munhwa Ilbo. 1999-01-02. Retrieved 2010-01-21.
  8. ^ a b c (온라인 인기 도서) 5월 둘째주(종합, 비즈니스와 경제) (in Korean). Sisa-issue.inews24.com. 2003-05-21. Retrieved 2010-01-21.
  9. ^ Pak, Noja. "Obituary's Attempt: Could Gorbachev Save the Soviet Union?". blog.naver.com. Retrieved 2024-04-18.
  10. ^ http://www.redian.org/news/articleView.html?idxno=12500[permanent dead link‍]
  11. ^ 노벨 평화상 유감 - 유효파 선생, 서구의 화려함에 넋을 잃으셨나요? "노벨 평화상 유감 - 레디앙". Archived from the original on 2011-09-28. Retrieved 2012-01-04.
  12. ^ "[박노자의 한국, 안과 밖] 1930년대가 돌아온다". [박노자의 한국, 안과 밖] 1930년대가 돌아온다 (in Korean). 2019-07-02. Retrieved 2024-04-18.
  13. ^ "[Column] The power to end Putin's war lies in the Ukrainian people fighting back". [Column] The power to end Putin’s war lies in the Ukrainian people fighting back. Retrieved 2024-04-18.
  14. ^ "[최강시사] 박노자 "우크라이나에서 미-러 싸움…한국은 '거리두기'가 유리"". KBS 뉴스 (in Korean). Retrieved 2024-04-18.
  15. ^ Pak, Noja. "이스라엘 대학을 과연 보이콧해야 하는가?" [Should we really boycott Israeli universities?].
  16. ^ ""어떤 방식이든 팔레스타인 저항은 정당" 민간인 학살 옹호한 국내 극좌단체" [“Palestinian resistance is a political party, no matter what the method,” a domestic far-left group that advocated massacre of civilians]. 조선일보 Chosun Ilbo (in Korean). 2023-10-10. Retrieved 2024-05-20.
  17. ^ a b 화제의 책] 왼쪽으로 더 왼쪽으로 - 당신들의 대한민국 세 번째 이야기 (in Korean). Ilyosisa.co.kr. Archived from the original on 2011-10-06. Retrieved 2010-01-21.
  18. ^ khan (2009-10-29). (지령 20000호 특집) 압축성장 ‘다면체의 삶’ (in Korean). Kyunghyang Shinmun. Retrieved 2010-01-21.
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