Abstract The National Museum of Korean Contemporary History in Seoul was first proposed in 2008 by conservative president Lee Myung-bak (Yi Myŏngbak), and opened its doors in late 2012. Its permanent exhibition was criticized as a manifestation of conservative historical narratives. As a result, once progressives regained power, the museum was remodeled, only to see…
Abstract While increasing social inequality and precarity is a common global phenomenon, the ways in which social inequality is felt, perceived, and responded to by young citizens differ from country to country. This paper investigates institutional contexts in which young people in Japan and South Korea make sense of social inequality in different ways: why,…
Abstract This paper explores how the culture of protest in South Korea has changed since the pro-democracy movement against the military authoritarian regime in the 1980s and thereby contextualizes how the routinization of the candlelight vigils from the early 2000s impacts the nation’s politics. Candlelight vigils—outdoor assemblies of people lighting candles after sunset in the…
Abstract The expression N-p’o sedae describes young Koreans who give up everything in their lives because of socio-economic pressures. As the phenomenon of renunciation, especially of marriage and family, persists among young Koreans today, this paper examines how renunciation manifests among them and possible gender-based differences in the phenomenon. The paper, based on a sequentialexploratory……
Abstract Understanding North Korean migrant experiences in South Korea is essential not only for advancing the topic of marginalization of newcomers, but also because it reveals elements of the capitalist economic system overlooked by those who simply emphasize the importance of unification and integration of the new migrants. To assess the life satisfaction of North…
Abstract North Korean ethnic migrant students who are excluded from the South Korean school system often continue their schooling in alternative schools. This paper examines the impact of the hierarchical relationship between teachers and students on the educational engagement of North Korean ethnic migrant students in South Korean classrooms. The study aims to identify classroom…
Abstract South Korea overcame the crisis of democracy in 2016–2017 by a heterarchy of massive candlelight demonstrations in the field of politics and the impeachment of President Park Geun Hye with due process of representative democracy, and renormalized democracy through elections. During the Moon Jae-in presidency, democratic politics had been polarized between rightist and leftist…
Abstract Korean screen culture, including television dramas and film, has rapidly changed in genres and themes over the past several decades. The Korean screen industries have substantially advanced the quality of their local cultural content through diverse strategies; in particular, the diversification of genres and themes. Cultural genres and themes are significant elements because they…
Abstract In 1945, with the participation of the Soviet Union, which sent naval forces to the northern coast of the Korean peninsula as well as paratroopers to Pyongyang, Korea was liberated from Japanese colonial rule. A limited contingent of Red Army units was dispatched in the northern part of the Korean peninsula to accept Japanese…
Abstract The United States and Soviet Union delegations to the Joint Commission talks ended the initial round of their efforts in May 1946 after but two months of talks designed to guide the creation of a unified Korean government through a process of trusteeship that would last at most five years beyond their helping Koreans…