Project MUSE®: Korean Studies - Latest Articles
https://muse.jhu.edu/journal/109
Project MUSE®: Latest articles in Korean Studies.daily12026-05-19T00:00:00-05:00text/htmlen-USVol. 1 (1977) through current issueLatest Articles: Korean StudiesTWOProject MUSE®Korean Studies1529-15290145-840XLatest articles in Korean Studies. Feed provided by Project MUSE®Engineers of the Human Soul: North Korean Literature Today
https://muse.jhu.edu/article/987598
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North Korean literature today is an extreme example of an inclination toward didacticism which has been expressed in differing forms under various social conditions throughout the history of Korean writing. In traditional Korea, writing was the unique function of an educated elite (who bore a responsibility for moral leadership of the society) and did not become the specialized vocation of a professional class until very recent years. But even then, works addressed to a popular audience beyond the writer’s peers have tended to reflect a class attitude embodying many didactic elements.This tendency, adapted to the times, has continued into the modern era. There have been three major bursts of socially motivated
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Project MUSE®https://muse.jhu.edu/2026-05-19T00:00:00-05:00https://muse.jhu.edu/journal/109/image/coversmallEngineers of the Human Soul: North Korean Literature Today2026-04-07text/htmlen-USEngineers of the Human Soul: North Korean Literature Today2026-04-072026TWOProject MUSE®1537082026-05-19T00:00:00-05:002026-04-07Editor’s Note
https://muse.jhu.edu/article/987597
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This issue marks the fiftieth year of Korean Studies. We are the oldest continuously published academic journal in the field of Korean studies existing outside the Korean peninsula, the first issue coming out in mid-1977. The field today has many excellent journals, and we are fortunate and proud to have stayed relevant for the past five decades.The fact that the journal’s publication has never missed a beat is foremost due to the dedication of the editorial team. The editors are chosen from the faculty of the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa, and the past editors have our gratitude: Dae-Sook Suh (Political Science, 1977–1979), Peter H. Lee (Literature, 1980–1982), Ho-min Sohn (Linguistics, 1983–1984), Forrest R.
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Project MUSE®https://muse.jhu.edu/2026-05-19T00:00:00-05:00https://muse.jhu.edu/journal/109/image/coversmallEditor’s Note2026-04-07text/htmlen-USEditor’s Note2026-04-072026TWOProject MUSE®60842026-05-19T00:00:00-05:002026-04-07Carving Out Space for Korean History: Contributions of Korean Scholars in East Asian Studies in the United States, 1955–1965
https://muse.jhu.edu/article/987599
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The period following 1954 witnessed the growing role of Korean-born scholars who were involved in Korean Studies in the United States. . . . In the field of publication of books and articles on Korea, Korean-born scholars demonstrated a considerable accomplishment.1Looking back at the growth of Korean Studies in the United States in 1971, Andrew C. Nahm briefly discussed how the number of “Korean-born” scholars suddenly increased during the decade from 1955 to 1964. During this formative decade of Korean Studies, referred to as the “budding season,” students from South Korea entered the United States to pursue a doctoral degree and wrote dissertations on Korea.2 Their accomplishments during this decade outnumbered
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Project MUSE®https://muse.jhu.edu/2026-05-19T00:00:00-05:00https://muse.jhu.edu/journal/109/image/coversmallCarving Out Space for Korean History: Contributions of Korean Scholars in East Asian Studies in the United States, 1955–19652026-04-07text/htmlen-USCarving Out Space for Korean History: Contributions of Korean Scholars in East Asian Studies in the United States, 1955–19652026-04-072026TWOProject MUSE®1155902026-05-19T00:00:00-05:002026-04-07Women Divers Resisting Oppression: A Brief History of Jeju Divers and Their Representations in North Korea’s Literature, Performance Art, and Screen Culture
https://muse.jhu.edu/article/987600
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This article examines the history of North Korean engagement with Jeju women divers (haenyŏ, alternatively known as “sea women”), including the ways in which these divers’ lives and revolutionary contributions are being depicted in North Korean culture. Natural diving by women is a prominent regional tradition of Jeju, which has its parallel in Japanese ama women divers.1 In the Korean context, this tradition came to symbolize Jeju’s distinctive local culture. In this article, the encounter of Jeju female divers with North Korea, both in terms of history and artistic as well as journalistic images, is to be examined.In general terms, diverse narratives and images of women revolutionaries play a crucial role in
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Project MUSE®https://muse.jhu.edu/2026-05-19T00:00:00-05:00https://muse.jhu.edu/journal/109/image/coversmallWomen Divers Resisting Oppression: A Brief History of Jeju Divers and Their Representations in North Korea’s Literature, Performance Art, and Screen Culture2026-04-07text/htmlen-USWomen Divers Resisting Oppression: A Brief History of Jeju Divers and Their Representations in North Korea’s Literature, Performance Art, and Screen Culture2026-04-072026TWOProject MUSE®1534462026-05-19T00:00:00-05:002026-04-07From Policy to Pop: Navigating South Korean Cultural Policies and Their Impact on Korean Popular Music
https://muse.jhu.edu/article/987601
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In 2023, K-pop groups performed in front of an audience, in addition to taking part in a media conference and reception, in Tokyo, Japan. Although this may seem like a regular showcase for promoting songs and albums, the event was organized by the South Korean government to help relatively lesser-known K-pop groups gain recognition in the global market.1 Five selected K-pop groups—Pixy, Beautybox, Lim Kim, W24, and Drippin—promoted their music with government assistance. This was part of the Korea Spotlight Showcase project that was held in various places, including Kazakhstan, Mexico, Germany, Australia, and Japan.2 The South Korean government has organized various similar projects to support the cultural
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Project MUSE®https://muse.jhu.edu/2026-05-19T00:00:00-05:00https://muse.jhu.edu/journal/109/image/coversmallFrom Policy to Pop: Navigating South Korean Cultural Policies and Their Impact on Korean Popular Music2026-04-07text/htmlen-USFrom Policy to Pop: Navigating South Korean Cultural Policies and Their Impact on Korean Popular Music2026-04-072026TWOProject MUSE®1132892026-05-19T00:00:00-05:002026-04-07Korea’s Path of Liturgical Inculturation: Ancestral Rites in Confucian-Christian Interplay, Social Change, and Women
https://muse.jhu.edu/article/987602
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In contemporary Korea, ancestral memorial rites provide a compelling lens through which to observe the intricate interplay of religion, culture, and gender. Far from being mere liturgical shifts, these rites epitomize a profound convergence of social change, theological innovation, and evolving family dynamics. The traditional practice of je-sa (제사)—a Confucian ritual deeply embedded in Korean family life—functions not only as a ceremony of remembrance but also as a performative affirmation of lineage continuity, social harmony, and moral responsibility. Rooted in Confucian virtues such as filial piety (hyo, 효) and ritual propriety (rye, 례),1 je-sa has historically reinforced patriarchal kinship structures and
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Project MUSE®https://muse.jhu.edu/2026-05-19T00:00:00-05:00https://muse.jhu.edu/journal/109/image/coversmallKorea’s Path of Liturgical Inculturation: Ancestral Rites in Confucian-Christian Interplay, Social Change, and Women2026-04-07text/htmlen-USKorea’s Path of Liturgical Inculturation: Ancestral Rites in Confucian-Christian Interplay, Social Change, and Women2026-04-072026TWOProject MUSE®1498082026-05-19T00:00:00-05:002026-04-07Coming (Out) to Terms with Queerness in Korea: Language Matters
https://muse.jhu.edu/article/987603
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In 2025, a new school curriculum took effect in South Korea. One of the key changes is the exclusion of the terms “sexual minority” (성소수자 sŏngsosuja) and “gender equality” (성평등 sŏngp’yŏngdŭng) from social studies and ethics textbooks. The changes, first announced in November 2022 by the Ministry of Education, were criticized by those who fear that excluding these terms intensifies the marginalization of sexual minorities in Korea, where homophobic sentiments are prevalent. Critics also argued that the decision stemmed from pressure from the conservative incumbent political party.1To outsiders, this recent decision by the government could contradict the image of progress, freedom, and innovation that the country’s
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Project MUSE®https://muse.jhu.edu/2026-05-19T00:00:00-05:00https://muse.jhu.edu/journal/109/image/coversmallComing (Out) to Terms with Queerness in Korea: Language Matters2026-04-07text/htmlen-USComing (Out) to Terms with Queerness in Korea: Language Matters2026-04-072026TWOProject MUSE®337582026-05-19T00:00:00-05:002026-04-07Dawn of Labor by Park Nohae (review)
https://muse.jhu.edu/article/987604
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The English translation of Dawn of Labor (Nodongŭi saebyŏk, 1984) meets a critical moment for the international recognition of Korean literature and the global distribution of working class voices. Published in 1984 by Park Noh-hae during a period of heavy political oppression in Korea, the collection poetically expressed the pain, resilience, and dignity of the neglected industrial workers, especially in the rapidly growing factory sector of South Korea. Dawn of Labor became not just a piece of literature but a powerful symbol of solidarity. Shared and read underground at labor rallies and student demonstrations, the poem inspired a generation of activists and contributed to facilitating the widespread movement
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Project MUSE®https://muse.jhu.edu/2026-05-19T00:00:00-05:00https://muse.jhu.edu/journal/109/image/coversmallDawn of Labor by Park Nohae (review)2026-04-07text/htmlen-USDawn of Labor by Park Nohae (review)2026-04-072026TWOProject MUSE®71672026-05-19T00:00:00-05:002026-04-07The Red Decades: Communism as Movement and Culture in Korea, 1919–1945 by Vladimir Tikhonov (review)
https://muse.jhu.edu/article/987605
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When historian Bruce Cumings first published The Origins of the Korean War, he was subjected to fierce critiques about his “revisionist” stance, stemming from his portrayal of the post-colonial politics in southern Korea after Korea’s liberation from Japanese colonial rule. Although many scholars took issue with Cumings’ first volume for its suggestion that the Korean War began as a civil war, the more enlightening and valuable information was to be found in the second volume, in which he showed the origins of the North Korean army, the intellectual and political backgrounds of various individuals who would form the backbone of what would become North Korea. Fortunately, the scholarly community has become more
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Project MUSE®https://muse.jhu.edu/2026-05-19T00:00:00-05:00https://muse.jhu.edu/journal/109/image/coversmallThe Red Decades: Communism as Movement and Culture in Korea, 1919–1945 by Vladimir Tikhonov (review)2026-04-07text/htmlen-USThe Red Decades: Communism as Movement and Culture in Korea, 1919–1945 by Vladimir Tikhonov (review)2026-04-072026TWOProject MUSE®147822026-05-19T00:00:00-05:002026-04-07North Korea’s Mundane Revolution: Socialist Living and the Rise of Kim Il Sung, 1953–1965 by Andre Schmid (review)
https://muse.jhu.edu/article/987606
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In this long-awaited book, Andre Schmid presents a compelling vision of urban life in early North Korea. In contrast to many accounts of this period, which, Schmid notes, have tended to focus on elite politics and the rise of Kim Il Sung, North Korea’s Mundane Revolution explores in depth “the ways in which North Korean men and women themselves imagined socialism” (p. 15) as part of the broader construction of “New Living”—an aspirational vision of a modern socialist lifestyle. What follows is a dynamic view of North Korea that explores the circulation of questions over the interpretation and implementation of state policies within the pages of magazines, journals, and newspapers, opening new avenues to examine the
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Project MUSE®https://muse.jhu.edu/2026-05-19T00:00:00-05:00https://muse.jhu.edu/journal/109/image/coversmallNorth Korea’s Mundane Revolution: Socialist Living and the Rise of Kim Il Sung, 1953–1965 by Andre Schmid (review)2026-04-07text/htmlen-USNorth Korea’s Mundane Revolution: Socialist Living and the Rise of Kim Il Sung, 1953–1965 by Andre Schmid (review)2026-04-072026TWOProject MUSE®104852026-05-19T00:00:00-05:002026-04-07