RAS Korea begins presidential succession

Royal Asiatic Society (RAS) Korea President Brother Anthony, left, and Vice President Steven L. Shields, who will take over as president next year, take off their masks momentarily for a picture at the RAS Korea book sale on Nov. 7. / Korea Times photo

By Jon Dunbar

Royal Asiatic Society (RAS) Korea is undergoing a generation change, as Brother Anthony of Taize steps aside after 10 years as president of the 120-year-old organization. Starting next year, Steven L. Shields, currently vice president, will fill his shoes.

Brother Anthony, born in Cornwall, U.K. in 1942, has a long history with Korea. After joining the ecumenical monastic community of Taize in 1969 and spending three years in the Philippines, he moved to Korea in May 1980 on invitation of Cardinal Stephen Kim Sou-hwan. He began teaching at Sogang University in September that year until retiring in 2007, and took Korean citizenship in 1994, taking on the Korean name An Sonjae.

He was chosen to head RAS Korea in January 2011, its longest-serving president other than Bishop Mark Napier Trollope, who served three nonconsecutive terms from 1917-19, 21-25 and 28-30.

A prolific translator, Brother Anthony has published about 50 volumes of Korean poetry that he translated into English. He was awarded the Korean Order of Merit for Culture in 2008 and an MBE by Queen Elizabeth in 2015. In 1991 his translation of Ko Un's "Headmaster Abe" won the poetry top prize in The Korea Times Literary Translation Awards, and since 1996 he has served as a judge for the newspaper's awards.

"It has been my privilege to serve as its President for the past 10 years and I am happy to be able to entrust it to younger hands now. In earlier times people, whether missionaries or consular officials or gold miners, spent decades of their lives in Korea, many died and were buried here. Now there is a lot of coming and going and we no longer see so many younger people who have accumulated a deep understanding of Korea in the course of lengthy years here. I have only been here for 40 years, and think fondly of families such as the Underwoods, the Appenzellers, the Lintons, who have been here for several generations," Brother Anthony said in a statement to The Korea Times.

"The RAS has always existed because its members felt a need to learn about Korea's past and present from those who arrived before them. I hope that the RAS will continue to provide in-depth information on Korea through its various activities, and I look forward to going on serving the RAS in whatever way I can in the coming years. I hope above all that we can establish links with a new generation of members and offer them interesting activities so that they can come closer to the heart of Korea, loving it as so many have done in times past."

For all those who feel comforted by his kind, humble presence, fear not because he isn't going to disappear. Brother Anthony will stay involved in RAS Korea, serving on its council, admin committee and publications committee. Currently his two predecessors, Peter Bartholomew and Jang Song-hyon, remain heavily active in the society.

His successor, Steven L. Shields, despite being 14 years younger, actually arrived here first, coming to Korea in 1975 as a missionary at the age of 19. He worked as a copy editor for The Korea Times in 1977, and later for the government's Economic Planning Board, as well as handling PR for Hotel Lotte prior to its opening. Over the decades he has moved back and forth between Korea and the U.S., and while he was away he continued to visit Korea often, and remained involved in RAS Korea as a life member. He became a pastor in 1987, and in the mid-1990s he served as pastor at a church in western Seoul's Yeonhui-dong, providing leadership training for lay leaders. With a strong background in publishing, he managed an extensive translation and publication program for the denomination. After moving back to Korea in 2018 following his retirement, he rejoined the RAS council and was appointed vice president, becoming very active in the society's administrative matters. He also became a columnist for The Korea Times. This year, he has risen to the challenges facing RAS Korea, and as its lectures moved online his hosting the meetings has made him the de facto face of the society.

"Perhaps the most important thing I can do as RAS Korea president, taking office amid a devastating pandemic and accompanying economic doldrums, is to find ways to increase the funding we need. When we faced an economic crisis a couple of years ago, several generous donors stepped forward and helped. While we have carefully used those funds, we are once again at a crossroads. We need more money, plain and simple. Membership fees, and excursion donations are but a small part of the basic funding required, even for our small, mostly volunteer, organization. I will do my utmost to continue RAS Korea's policy of fiscal prudence while seeking corporate and institutional sponsors who share the values of our mission," Shields told The Korea Times.

"Having survived the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-5, the 1910-45 Japanese occupation and World War II, the 1950-53 Korean War and political and economic turmoil since, RAS Korea's 120-year-long history is a statement of the value of its mission to explore and introduce all things Korean to the world. Although we have temporarily had to cancel most of our excursions, and move our lectures to an online-only format, we believe we see the light at the end of the tunnel."

On Dec. 8, Brother Anthony will give his final lecture as RAS Korea president, sharing his work as a translator by talking about some of the Korean poets he's worked with and reading a few special poems. The lecture will be held on Zoom, starting at 7:30 p.m. Korea time. All are welcome to join, but donations to the society are encouraged. Visit raskb.com or fb.com/raskb for more information.