How Inequality Leads to Social Polarization and Democratic Backsliding – Professor Hagen Koo
On January 14, Seoul National University’s Center for Contemporary Korean Studies held an open seminar titled “How Inequality Leads to Social Polarization and Democratic Backsliding” as part of its regular open seminar series. The seminar focused on the relationship between2026-01-14
Symptomatology of Epoch-traverser: Centering on Han Kang’s The Vegetarian
■ Bibliographic Information ■ Abstract This paper conceptualizes the protagonist Yeong-hye in Han Kang’s The Vegetarian (2007) as an ‘epoch-traverser’ and reflects on the sociological significance of this figure from the perspective of the symptomatology. The term epoch-traverser designates a subject of2026-01-13
Symptomatology of Epoch-traverser: Centering on Han Kang’s The Vegetarian
■ Bibliographic Information ■ Abstract This paper conceptualizes the protagonist Yeong-hye in Han Kang’s The Vegetarian (2007) as an ‘epoch-traverser’ and reflects on the sociological significance of this figure from the perspective of the symptomatology. The term epoch-traverser designates a subject of2026-01-13
Contemporary Korean Music in Context: Bridging Tradition, Modernity, and the Global Stage(2026)
The Contemporary Korean Music Team has published “Contemporary Korean Music in Context: Bridging Tradition, Modernity, and the Global Stage” as the second book in the Palgrave Series in Contemporary Korean Studies. Publisher Introduction: This book encloses an interdisciplinary examination of Korean2026-01-05
Contemporary Korean Music in Context: Bridging Tradition, Modernity, and the Global Stage(2026)
The Contemporary Korean Music Team has published “Contemporary Korean Music in Context: Bridging Tradition, Modernity, and the Global Stage” as the second book in the Palgrave Series in Contemporary Korean Studies. Publisher Introduction: This book encloses an interdisciplinary examination of Korean2026-01-05
Contemporary Korean Music in Context: Bridging Tradition, Modernity, and the Global Stage(2026)
■ Bibliographic Information ■ Overview ■ About this bookThis book encloses an interdisciplinary examination of Korean music’s evolution, contextual interactions, and global positioning from historical, sociocultural, and aesthetic perspectives. It brings together various scholarly contributions to analyse Korean music’s transformations,2026-01-05
Global Mega-Events and Gugak Fandom – The (Re)Invention of Traditional Performance and Histories of Reception
On December 19, the Music Team of the Contemporary Korean Studies Research Group held a colloquium featuring two presentations that examined the contemporary (re)invention of traditional performance and the formation and development of gugak fandom. In the first presentation, Professor2025-12-23
Colloquium – “Self-Perception in Korean Narrative: The Hidden Sides of Success Narratives”
The K-Narrative Team of the SNU Contemporary Korean Studies holds a monthly colloquium to critically explore symptoms and tendencies in contemporary Korean narrative works. We warmly invite members of the university community to participate. The speaker on December 19 will2025-12-15








