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Jack Greenberg (그린버그 잭)

@jackwgreenberg.bsky.social
2.6K followers 13 following 830 posts

Independent Researcher and Freelance Writer. Former Global 🇰🇷 Scholar. 고려대학교 and McGill Alumnus. Currently working on contested histories, memory sites, and Korea’s truth commission. 📧 jwgreenberg@outlook.com jwgreenberg.substack.com

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Jack Greenberg (그린버그 잭) @jackwgreenberg.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
Today would have been my grandfather’s 91st birthday. He passed away shortly before his 89th. Offered prayers in his memory at Gatbawi and Bulgulsa today. I miss him every day.
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Jack Greenberg (그린버그 잭) @jackwgreenberg.bsky.social · 28/08/2026
I grew up less than a 15 minute drive away from this beautiful view, and I took this photo when my wife and I visited from Korea last December. It is Lake Ontario, and that will always be its name.
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Jack Greenberg (그린버그 잭) @jackwgreenberg.bsky.social · 31/07/2026
My latest article for the Korea Times:
koreatimes.co.kr
Vietnam massacre survivors and bereaved family ask TRC for investigation - The Korea Times
When South Korean troops indiscriminately opened fire in their villages during the Vietnam War, some children lost their entire families. Others su...
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Jack Greenberg (그린버그 잭) @jackwgreenberg.bsky.social · 18/06/2026
Happy to know this article has finally been published!! It can be found in Transactions of the Royal Asiatic Society Korea Volume 99. It evolved from a lecture I gave last August and focuses on Kang's early efforts towards uncovering the truth of the Gyeongsan Cobalt Mine Civilian Massacres.
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Jack Greenberg (그린버그 잭) @jackwgreenberg.bsky.social · 08/06/2026
Friday marked 100 days since the launch of the 3rd TRC. 4,716 applications for truth-finding have been filed so far by victims, bereaved families, and other related parties. With the Yangju Adoptee Archive, we recently met Chair Song Sang-gyo and Standing Commissioner Kim Gwi-ok.
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Jack Greenberg (그린버그 잭) @jackwgreenberg.bsky.social · 20/04/2026
Yesterday at Jirisan Hwaeomsa in Gurye-gun, Masan-myeon.
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Jack Greenberg (그린버그 잭) @jackwgreenberg.bsky.social · 18/04/2026
My latest for The Korea Times ahead of this week’s 46th anniversary of the 1980 Sabuk Uprising. www.koreatimes.co.kr/southkorea/s...
koreatimes.co.kr
Sabuk Incident survivors renew demands for apology, fulfillment of TRC recommendations as third commission begins work - The Korea Times
Dressed in their old helmets and uniforms, elderly former coal miners gathered in front of Cheong Wa Dae in central Seoul, April 14, joined by fami...
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Jack Greenberg (그린버그 잭) @jackwgreenberg.bsky.social · 09/04/2026
Ggachi is back as a bilingual Korean-English weekly newsletter.
ggachi.substack.com
Ggachi Newsletter| Exploring Traces of Colonial Korean Labour in Japan (1)
+ Gana Art's 1991 Issue on Modern Middle Eastern Art.
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Jack Greenberg (그린버그 잭) @jackwgreenberg.bsky.social · 01/04/2026
My latest: Yesterday, a press conference was held ahead of the publication of "Biographical Accounts of Anti-Constitutional Actors (반헌법행위자열전)." The project will span 12 volumes; t identifies and profiles 312 public officials between the Rhee Syngman and Roh Tae-woo governments.
koreatimes.co.kr
5 ex-presidents listed as ‘anti-constitutional actors' in new reckoning on historical state violence - The Korea Times
Five former presidents of Korea made it onto a list of perpetrators of state violence in Korea's authoritarian past. Syngman Rhee, Park Chung-hee,...
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Jack Greenberg (그린버그 잭) @jackwgreenberg.bsky.social · 30/03/2026
New article for @koreatimescokr. I covered the background of the special opening of the Wongaksa Stone Pagoda and what has happened since recreational activities were banned in Tapgol Park. Also was able to fit in some historical tidbits about the pagoda's condition before and after liberation.
koreatimes.co.kr
10-story stone pagoda in Tapgol Park receives first up-close public viewing in 27 years - The Korea Times
Class wrapping up on a Friday afternoon should have marked the start of the weekend, but Yang Seo-yeon still had something to do. Leaving Sungkyunk...
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Jack Greenberg (그린버그 잭) @jackwgreenberg.bsky.social · 26/03/2026
My latest article for the Korea Times follows up on my research trip to Japan last month and takes stock of where things stand at this moment with remains recovery activities (led by @Chouseikizamu) at the Chosei Coal Mine. www.koreatimes.co.kr/southkorea/s...
koreatimes.co.kr
Lawmakers prod Korean, Japanese governments for action on Chosei Coal Mine excavation, repatriation projects - The Korea Times
UBE, Japan — An inflatable raft returned to the beach at Tokonami in Ube City’s Nishikiwa Village at approximately 3:20 p.m. on Feb. 6. Yoshitaka I...
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Jack Greenberg (그린버그 잭) @jackwgreenberg.bsky.social · 20/03/2026
Surveying current conditions at the last two aircraft hangers from the Pacific War in Yeongcheon. They were built through the forced mobilization of students from Daegu Agriculture and Forestry School when Japan began to anticipate U.S. landings on the Korean Peninsula.
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Jack Greenberg (그린버그 잭) @jackwgreenberg.bsky.social · 15/03/2026
Last month, at Fukuju-ji in Kitakyushu to pay respects to victims of the 1940 Kokura Coal Mine flood incident. 39 lost their lives after being trapped inside. Among the 26 Korean victims, 19 left behind families. Recovery of the bodies took one year, but three were never found.
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Jack Greenberg (그린버그 잭) @jackwgreenberg.bsky.social · 23/02/2026
Wrote a reflection on Substack about Jangheung's Borimsa. On the surface it is a beautiful temple; home to several designated treasures. What the casual visitor won't necessarily perceive is its tragic Korean War history w/ civilians caught btw state & guerrilla violence. Link: shorturl.at/brxO8
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Jack Greenberg (그린버그 잭) @jackwgreenberg.bsky.social · 22/02/2026
Wandering alleys in Busan’s Jung-gu, I stumbled upon 정오사 in a Japanese style colonial house. It had a striking painting of Avalokiteshvara. 대승불교회 established a temple here in 1977, but in 1991 ownership of the premises was transferred to the Jogye Order’s 12th Diocese.
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Jack Greenberg (그린버그 잭) @jackwgreenberg.bsky.social · 20/02/2026
Was in Gyeongsan’s Namsan-myeon today to dig deeper into the history of a 1944 uprising against forced mobilization under Japanese occupation. Visited one of the leader’s children, and was treated to a delicious homemade meal and tea. At 80, she still keeps a lovely house filled with plants.
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Jack Greenberg (그린버그 잭) @jackwgreenberg.bsky.social · 19/02/2026
Now updated with the verdicts delivered this afternoon. While Yoon was sentenced to life imprisonment with labour in the first trial, the court also sentenced five co-defendants to prison terms and found two not guilty.
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Jack Greenberg (그린버그 잭) @jackwgreenberg.bsky.social · 19/02/2026
The court is currently delivering the verdict in Yoon’s insurrection case. It confirms that Yoon sought to obstruct and paralyze the National Assembly with the aim of preventing its functioning for a considerable period of time.
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Jack Greenberg (그린버그 잭) @jackwgreenberg.bsky.social · 19/02/2026
Only a few hours left until the verdict in Yoon Seok-yeol's insurrection trial. It will be televised nationally and will take place in the same courtroom that issued a death sentence to dictator Chun Doo-hwan, who Yoon praised, when he was a presidential contender, for conducting state affairs well.
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Jack Greenberg (그린버그 잭) @jackwgreenberg.bsky.social · 13/02/2026
Wandered into another wonderful library without any prior knowledge of its history YDA. Kitakyushu City Central Library was designed by Pritzker Prize winner Arata Isozaki and completed in 1974. The exterior doubled for Musashino Library, the Library Defense Force HQ, in the Toshokan Sensō films.
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Jack Greenberg (그린버그 잭) @jackwgreenberg.bsky.social · 06/02/2026
This morning after arriving by ferry to Shimonoseki, Jenna and I made our way to the site of the Josei Coal Mine. We’ll be in Japan for a week to visit and research sites associated with Korean forced labour in mines.
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Jack Greenberg (그린버그 잭) @jackwgreenberg.bsky.social · 06/02/2026
오늘 장생탄광 있는 우베시에 갔습니다. 오후 3시 30분경 희생자 유해가 추가로 수습되었습니다. 국제 다이버 팀이 지난해 8월에 첫 번째 유해를 발견했는데, 오늘 이어 두 번째로 두개골 1점을 수습되어 현장에 있었던 유가족 품으로 돌아왔습니다.
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Jack Greenberg (그린버그 잭) @jackwgreenberg.bsky.social · 27/01/2026
Kim Yeo-jeong is one person who tried to record the hardships endured by Bogwang-dong residents since the Korean War. In a bid to overcome her depression, she had opened Cafe Tara in the neighbourhood, and it turned into a sort of community center that drew a diverse cast of regulars.
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Jack Greenberg (그린버그 잭) @jackwgreenberg.bsky.social · 26/01/2026
Recalling a visit to the Shinto Shrine on Sorokdo, the island in southwest Korea where colonial authorities forcibly segregated leprosy patients. substack.com/@jackwgreenb...
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Jack Greenberg (그린버그 잭) @jackwgreenberg.bsky.social · 24/01/2026
Large parts of Bogwang-dong and Hannam-dong in Seoul’s Yongsan-gu are being demolished for the Hannam District 3, or New Town, redevelopment project. This is happening 17 years after the area was first designated a promotion district. The plan calls for 127 residential and commercial high rises.
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Jack Greenberg (그린버그 잭) @jackwgreenberg.bsky.social · 24/01/2026
A winter’s day walk at the Han River.
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Jack Greenberg (그린버그 잭) @jackwgreenberg.bsky.social · 23/01/2026
Heartened by today’s announcement regarding the successful identification of seven Jeju 4.3 victims through forensic testing and DNA analysis, in 2025. Two were held at Daegu Prison and executed at Gyeongsan Cobalt Mine. This is the 1st time 4.3 victims have been confirmed from the Gyeongsan site.
open.substack.com
Seven Victims of Jeju 4.3 Identified, Including First Confirmations from Gyeongsan Cobalt Mine
Jeju to Restart Blood Sample Collection on Feb. 2 as DNA Identifications Rise to 154 Nationwide
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Jack Greenberg (그린버그 잭) @jackwgreenberg.bsky.social · 22/01/2026
The stunning gold-coffered ceiling in Toronto’s Commerce Court North (1930), which was designed by Toronto architecture firm Pearson & Darling, and had been the British Empire’s tallest building until 1962. CIBC still maintains offices in the 34-storey tower.
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Jack Greenberg (그린버그 잭) @jackwgreenberg.bsky.social · 22/01/2026
Today’s the 135th birth anniversary of Antonio Gramsci; brilliant thinker/theorist, anti-Fascist, genius strike leader, and a founder of the Italian Communist Party. I found this mural depicting his face and the motto from L’Ordine Nuovo's 1st issue on a Bologna HS near the site of Le Caserme Rosse.
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Jack Greenberg (그린버그 잭) @jackwgreenberg.bsky.social · 22/01/2026
One resolution for 2026 is write more frequently on my Substack. This week I posted the year's first newsletter, which covers LJM's mtg w/ Takaichi, Daegu's mayoral race, a possible Daegu-Gyeongbuk merger, and an update on the PCH statue at Dongdaegu Plaza dispute. open.substack.com/pub/ggachi/p...
open.substack.com
Ggachi vol. 3, no. 1.
Tuesday, January 20th, 2026
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Jack Greenberg (그린버그 잭) @jackwgreenberg.bsky.social · 21/01/2026
This week I finished a history of the Old Don Jail -- third book of the year so far. I recently went to see this former "monument to human misery" for myself. Before its closure in 1977, 1 million were confined in its cramped, rat-infested cells & 70 ppl died on its gallows, including 34 by hanging.
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Jack Greenberg (그린버그 잭) @jackwgreenberg.bsky.social · 20/01/2026
Have previously photographed the exterior of this building, the former Central Testing Laboratory of the Government General of Korea. Popped inside today and saw the recently restored 2nd floor auditorium, which still has the original, old ceiling intact and exposed.
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Jack Greenberg (그린버그 잭) @jackwgreenberg.bsky.social · 18/01/2026
Urban layers of northeastern Seoul with Cheongnyangni (Hongneung) revival housing (circa 1955-1957) in the foreground.
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Jack Greenberg (그린버그 잭) @jackwgreenberg.bsky.social · 17/01/2026
Minhwa is experiencing a resurgence in the Korean art scene, and also attracting more int'l attention. Gallery Hyundai opens 2026 with a new exhibit to celebrate the genre. Across the main and new buildings, it highlights Joseon-era masterpieces together with modern reinterpretations by six artists.
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Jack Greenberg (그린버그 잭) @jackwgreenberg.bsky.social · 16/01/2026
Court has sentenced Yoon to five years in prison for obstruction of justice and other charges. Remember this is the first of eight cases related to his 12.3 martial law bid in 2024.
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Jack Greenberg (그린버그 잭) @jackwgreenberg.bsky.social · 16/01/2026
Watching live as Yoon Suk-yeol is being sentenced in the first of eight cases related to his 12.3 attempt to impose martial law
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Jack Greenberg (그린버그 잭) @jackwgreenberg.bsky.social · 14/01/2026
Visited the ROM last week, which owns a group of Joseon Shamanist paintings collected by the Rev. James Scarth Gale. Only that of the Dragon King (Yongwang), which was restored with cooperation of Korean heritage authorities in Seoul, is currently on display.
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Jack Greenberg (그린버그 잭) @jackwgreenberg.bsky.social · 14/01/2026
Obviously had to take a photo with the sign
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Jack Greenberg (그린버그 잭) @jackwgreenberg.bsky.social · 13/01/2026
Good to be home in Seoul. Colder here and more snow on the ground than when we left Toronto. Sun is just coming up; have been awake since 4 a.m. from jet lag. A quiet morning with city buses on strike since yesterday. It is the first work stoppage in two years, due to a wage dispute.
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Jack Greenberg (그린버그 잭) @jackwgreenberg.bsky.social · 13/01/2026
Last stop in the city was the Toronto Reference Library, Canada’s largest public reference library. It opened in 1977 and was designed by Japanese-Canadian architect Raymond Moriyama.
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Jack Greenberg (그린버그 잭) @jackwgreenberg.bsky.social · 13/01/2026
15 hour flight… Glad to be back in Korea.
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Jack Greenberg (그린버그 잭) @jackwgreenberg.bsky.social · 12/01/2026
The Toronto Public Library has one of the world’s largest collections (25,000+ items) devoted to Arthur Conan Doyle's life and works. The Toronto Reference Library branch also has a room styled as Sherlock Holmes' study.
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Jack Greenberg (그린버그 잭) @jackwgreenberg.bsky.social · 12/01/2026
Over 550 books on this shelf. Catalogued everything before leaving Canada. Another 13 in my backpack to go back to Korea with me.
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Jack Greenberg (그린버그 잭) @jackwgreenberg.bsky.social · 10/01/2026
Some shots of street art seen in Toronto this week.
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Jack Greenberg (그린버그 잭) @jackwgreenberg.bsky.social · 09/01/2026
Union Station and the CN Tower before sunset. Met someone for lunch in the financial district and later took the express GO train back to Oakville at rush hour. Brought back memories of my days working at Bay & Adelaide.
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Jack Greenberg (그린버그 잭) @jackwgreenberg.bsky.social · 09/01/2026
Walked past Kim’s Convenience this afternoon, and went inside to cash a lottery ticket. Also popped into the CBC building yesterday morning.
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Jack Greenberg (그린버그 잭) @jackwgreenberg.bsky.social · 02/01/2026
New Year’s Day in front of the Pink Palace, one of my favorite Ontario buildings, and home to the Provincial Legislature. I served as a page here during the 41st Parliament.
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Jack Greenberg (그린버그 잭) @jackwgreenberg.bsky.social · 23/12/2025
Arrived in Oakville just in time to light the menorah for the last night of Chanukah.
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Jack Greenberg (그린버그 잭) @jackwgreenberg.bsky.social · 21/12/2025
Tonight’s read: The Korean War as experienced by one of Indonesia’s best known authors and most respected journalists.
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Jack Greenberg (그린버그 잭) @jackwgreenberg.bsky.social · 20/12/2025
If I didn’t tell you anything about this building what would be your impression?
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