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2025 SNU International Conference for Contemporary Korean Studies

 

Date: August 22-23, 2025

Location: Seoul National University, Seoul, South Korea

 

Korea as Symptom: Perspectives on the Future

The SNU Institute for Contemporary Korean Studies is delighted to announce the 2025 Annual International Conference, to be held at Seoul National University on August 22-23, 2025. Building on the success of last year’s inaugural international conference, this event has now been established as an annual tradition.

This year’s theme, Korea as Symptom: Perspectives on the Future, invites an exploration of contemporary Korean society as a dynamic intersection of global forces and historical experiences—including (de)colonization, the Cold War, modernization, globalization, financialization, and digitalization. Far from being isolated phenomena, many of South Korea’s recent developments—such as the crisis of democracy, an extremely low fertility rate, regional depopulation, entrenched competitive environments, the dominance of financial capitalism, rising multiculturalism, innovative cultural practices, and emerging youth cultures—should be understood as ‘symptoms’ of broader global transformations. This conference aims to examine these phenomena as entry points to imagine the future of Korean and global societies. What do these symptoms reveal about larger structural and historical processes? Do they simply signal crises within current systems or do they offer pathways toward alternative futures? Can Korea serve as a critical vantage point for analyzing and understanding global transformations?

 

We welcome submissions that engage with, but are not limited to, the following themes:

• Narratives and imaginaries of Korea’s past, present, and future
• Theoretical and empirical explorations on Korean futurity
• Korean modernity and developmental trajectories
• Historical and comparative analyses of the Korean political economy
• Comparative perspectives on Korean politics and statehood
• Korean identity, values, and their transformations
• Shifts in Korean religion and spiritual practices
• Contemporary Korean music and art
• The global rise and influence of Korean popular culture
• Other themes relevant to contemporary Korean studies

 

 

Language

The official languages of the conference are English and Korean. Abstracts must be submitted in English. Interpretation services will be available during the conference as needed.

 

Registration Fee

There is no registration fee for this conference. Additionally, financial support may be available for graduate students presenting at the conference.

 

Submission Types

• Individual Papers: 15-20 minute presentations
• Panels: 3-5 papers plus a discussant and a chair

 

Word Limits

• Panel abstracts: 250 words (accompanied by 3-5 individual paper abstracts of 200 words each and short bios of the presenters)
• Paper abstracts: 200 words (accompanied by a short bio of the presenter; only one paper presentation is allowed per person)

 

Submission Deadline

Please submit panel and paper abstracts by February 28, 2025, to the following email address: snucks2025@gmail.com

 

The program committee will notify applicants of acceptance decisions by March 20, 2025. For inquiries, please contact the same email address.