The SNU Center for Contemporary Korean Studies held an international conference titled “Korea as Symptom” over two days, August 22 and 23. As the second session on the second day of the conference, the Political Economy Team and the Modernity and Development History Team jointly organized a panel titled “South Korea and Post-Cold War Geopolitics” in Room 230 of Building 101 at Seoul National University. Chaired by Professor Jiye Song (Korea University), the session featured three presentations.

In the first presentation, Miriam Bartolozzi (University of Macerata) spoke on “Promoting Human Rights and Democracy in Today’s World: Digital Activism, Popular Culture and Environmental Advocacy Among South Korean Youth.” Her presentation examined South Korea’s 2024 climate litigation ruling and social movements among younger generations. She also analyzed how young Koreans have recently adopted new forms of protest and mobilization through digital platforms and popular culture.

The second presentation was delivered by Cristina Preutu (Hankuk University of Foreign Studies) under the title “Korean Peninsula and Romania in the Context of Collapse of Communist Bloc and the Reshaping of New Geopolitical Order.” Preutu offered a comparative political analysis of Korea and Romania, drawing attention to their experiences of geopolitical division during the Cold War. Building on this comparison, she contrasted Romania’s process of democratization with North Korea’s socialist trajectory and examined the different paths they followed after the end of the Cold War.

Finally, Trung Hiep Nguyen (Seoul National University) presented “From War to Cultural Exchange: The Evolution of Korea-Vietnam Relations as Symptom of Geopolitical Transformation.” He examined the transformation of relations between South Korea and Vietnam from military confrontation to strategic partnership. Economic interdependence and cultural exchange played important roles in this process, and Nguyen presented the evolving relationship between the two countries as an example of cooperation in an increasingly multipolar world.

The session highlighted both domestic and international transformations surrounding South Korea within the post-Cold War geopolitical order. Together, the presentations offered useful perspectives for understanding South Korea’s political position in a broader global context and contributed to a deeper understanding of the country’s trajectory in the post-Cold War era.