Interview with Timothy Gitzen, Editor in Chief of PEAR The inaugural issue of PEAR (Papers, Essays and Reviews) was released on June 2, which is the first English-language journal published by the graduate students in East Asia (not to mention in Korea). Timothy Gitzen is the Editor-in-Chief of this journal. He has just finished his master’s program at Yonsei's Graduate School of International Studies (GSIS). "At the end of last October, I proposed the idea of making a journal to the Dean, Lee Jung Min, who had the same line of thought in his mind. Then, five of us had been making a team effort for this journal since last winter and the journal came out 2 weeks ago finally," he explains. Besides these original members, other six students were hired as staffs. Articles on PEAR are written not only by the members of Yonsei community but also by those from abroad. Timothy Gitzen is the only one that contributed his piece among the editorial staffs. He adds, "The main theme of this issue is ‘Asia backwards and forwards’. We wanted to reflect on the dynamic progress of Asia but not all Asian nations move forward. Our journal consists of eclectic discussions to different writers from different background contributed." The name "PEAR" of this new journal is meant to add a new and exquisite flavor like a ripe Korean pear fruit: "The end of this journal is to make a stringent academic journal but at the same time to showcase diversity and give a new twist to our issues." Timothy Gitzen received his bachelor’s degree from Emory University in both Japanese and Religion. "When I stayed in Japan for a-year-abroad program, I came to Korea during Christmas vacation. One of the students at Yonsei invited me to Korea and let me stay for a month. I visited many places and I quite fell in love with Korea," he says. After finishing his program in Japan, he returned to Emory University so that he could complete his honor roll’s thesis. Then, he decided to continue his master’s program in the Korean Studies Program at Yonsei's GSIS. This semester he wrote a master’s thesis on Korean music industry in the Japanese market. He states, "I wanted to analyze how Korean media products are manufactured and distributed in Japan." When he went to Japan in 2006, he was so surprised to see so many people lining up to get Tohoshinki’s CDs at Tower Records in Osaka. He happened to talk to a girl behind him. He asked why she wanted to buy an album and she replied, "Because this is a Korean singer’s music in Japanese." This really interested him since she purchased a CD not because she liked the singer or music, but simply because Korean pop stars were singing in Japanese. This led him to ponder on the issues of nationality and cultural identity. He attempted to write his honor roll thesis on Korean popular music in Japanese reception but he focused on the side of consumption at that time. Now Timothy is looking for new possibilities after graduation. "Since I finished the entire program, I do not work as the editor-in-chief any more. But if they need me, I am willing to offer any help for the journal," He says. He is currently working for the student admission at the GSIS office until August. "I may find a teaching job at college in Korea. Also I want to work in the media industry in Korea. Or I may keep editing job since I have quite a wealth of information on editing while working on this journal. Besides I have been doing editing for 2 years on and off," he adds. The second issue of PEAR will be released this November.