literary scholar Bruce Fulton assisted by Cornell students, from 2 to 2:50 p.m. in 230 Rockefeller Hall. Fulton is professor of Korean literature and literary translation at the University of British Columbia. The readings will be followed by a short break with refreshments. The second part of the program includes a panel discussion with the authors. Translators will be available to facilitate the discussion.

Yang Kwi-ja has achieved both critical and commercial success with novels that examine the persistence of traditional gender roles in Korean society and the alienation of modern Korean women. In 1992 she received the Yi Sang Literature Prize, one of the most prestigious awards in Korean literature. Her works in English translation include A Distant and Beautiful Place , a novel about the emerging middle class in the satellite cities of Seoul in the 1980s, and Rust . Another novel, Contradictions , is forthcoming from the Cornell University East Asia Series.

Im Ch'or-u made his literary debut in 1981 when he received the annual Newcomers Literary Award from editors at the South Korean daily newspaper Seoul Shinmun . In 1988 he was the co-recipient of the Yi Sang Literature Prize, and he has published several volumes of fiction that reflect a profound interest in contemporary Korean history. His works in English include A Shared Journey in Land of Exile , an autobiographical account of the psychological trauma resulting from the 1980 Kwanju Massacre, and At Sap'yong Station .

One of Ch'or-u's novels, Kusom e kagoshipta , was made into a well-known Korean movie, "To the Starry Island," which will be shown at Willard Straight Hall Theatre Nov. 8, at 5:15 p.m., following the readings and panel discussion. The film, which deals with a tragic Korean War event and its after-effects on an island community, drew critical acclaim at the 1994 New York Film Festival.

An evening of light-hearted entertainment with Korean-American comedian "PK" caps the three-day event on Saturday, Nov. 8, at 7:30 p.m. in Anabel Taylor Hall Auditorium. "PK" -- a.k.a. Paul Kim -- performs a weekly comedy set at the Laugh Factory in Hollywood. He humorously deconstructs racial stereotypes using jokes, storytelling and hip-hop.

Korea Peace Day also is sponsored by the Cornell Korean Students Association in cooperation with the International Communications Foundation in Seoul, South Korea. For details and a complete schedule, visit: http://www.einaudi.cornell.edu/eastasia .

For more information, contact David Patt, Cornell East Asia Program outreach director, at (607) 255-8366 or by e-mail at dp228@cornell.edu .

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