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Last Sunday, July 12th, 2009, all of us that work at the Universidad of Buenos Aires (UBA) Korea Argentina Studies Center suffered an irreparable loss. Pedro Krotsch, 67 years old, passed away. He was our director and a renowned sociologist also specialized in higher education.

Pedro was born in Buenos Aires, in 1942. He graduated in sociology in the National University of La Plata (UNLP). In the seventies he exiled himself in Mexico, where he continued studies at the National Autonomous University of Mexico. He returned to Argentina in the middle of eighties.

Pedro Krotsch was an outstanding voice in university themes in Latin America. He had an extensive career as researcher, professor and member of scientific societies and journals. Since 2005, he was part of the managing board of the University Evaluation and Accreditation National Committee of Argentina (CONEAU). Between 2001 and 2005 he directed the UBA Gino Germani Research Institute. And since the foundation of the UBA Korea Argentina Studies Center in 2005, he was the director.

Pedro, who was known by his human warmth and very low profile, loved the academic discussion. He was a restless thinker, with unconventional ideas. He liked to provoke debate and managed to always attract his listeners’ attention, utilizing irony as a tool. He will be enormously missed.

An International Meeting called "Displacements/ emplacements: Korea, Latin America and beyond" was held on July 14th in Buenos Aires. The event was organized by the UBA Korea Argentina Studies Center and the University of California in Los Angeles Center of Korean Studies.

The get together took place in the Arenales Building of the UBA and it had the auspices of the Academy of Korean Studies and UBACyT S807 FSOC UBA Project.

The Ambassador of the Republic of Korea in Argentina, Kim Byung Kwan; and the president of the Argentine Association of Korean Studies, Dr. Jorge Di Masi, among other authorities, attended to the meeting.

The first board on "The labor market" was coordinated by Corina Courtis (UBA). On that panel spoke Prof. Alfredo Romero Castilla (UNAM, Mexico), Prof. Mirta Bialogorski (UBA) and Prof. Park Kyeyoung (UCLA). The works were commented by Prof. Lytton Guimaraes (University of Brasilia).

In the second board, "The use of language", participated Prof. Courtis, Prof. Min Wongjung (Papal Catholic University of Chile), Prof. Yun Jung Im and Prof. Julie Kim (Diego Portales University, Chile). The final remarks were made by Dr. Di Masi.

On August 26th, 27th and 28th, many CECA members went to Cordoba to participate in the Fifth National Congress of Korean Studies. Its title was "The Korean Peninsula at the crossroads".

The papers were on the following topics:

• Science and Technology History in Korea. Current situation (Alejandro Kim)
• Some reflections on the Korean women in Argentina (Carolina Mera and Jessica Nessim)
• Film industry and Korean cultural policy towards Argentina. Gender subjectivities and imaginary in the image era (Paula Ladevito)
• Silhak: From the neo-Confucianism to the western scientific thoughts (Barbara Bavoleo. She also coordinated the panel "Korean language, science and education)

The CECA will also participate in the IV Meeting of Korean Studies in Latin America, which will be carried out in Santiago on October 26th and 27th. The Korean Studies Program of the Asia Pacific Center - Institute of International Studies of the University of Chile will organize it.

Carolina Mera, Barbara Bavoleo and Jessica Nessim will go the Chilean capital city to make their respective works known. In addition, other researchers will send their own presentations.