International Institute of Korean Studies

Upcoming conferences

2024 IKSU Annual International Conference

Exploring Dynamics: Korean Anthropology and Sociology in a Global Context

The International Institute of Korean Studies (IKSU) is inviting scholars whose research focuses on the issues related to Korea, based on anthropology and/or sociology disciplinary approaches, to a 2-day conference. 

Previous conferences

2023 IKSU Annual International Conference

Economic Development and International Development Cooperation of the Korea Peninsula: Past, Present and the Future

University of Central Lancashire, UK, 3-4 April 2023

Venue: Samlesbury Hall, PR5 0UP, UK or online.

To attend the conference, please register using the links below:
Online participation
In-person participation

This conference is open to all.

Day 1: 3 April 2023 (Monday)

9.30 AM – 9.50 AM / Registration
9.50 AM – 10.00 AM / Opening Remarks (Sojin Lim, Director of the IKSU)

10.00 AM – 11.50 AM / Session 1: Development Assistance to South Korea and Its Implications for Economic Development

Chair: Virginie Grzelczyk (Aston University, UK)
Speakers (30 minutes x 2 speakers, 60 minutes)

Fostering new allies in the face of an 'aggression': Italy's aid to South Korea in the wake of the Korean war / Marco Zappa (Università Ca’Foscari Venezia, Italy).
The German Economic Advisory Group (DVB) to Korea, 1962-1968 / Max Altenhofen (University of Tűbingen, Germany)

Discussant (20 minutes)
Kevin Gray (University of Sussex, UK)
Discussion with Q&A (30 minutes)

2.00 PM – 3.50 PM / Session 2: Development Assistant from South Korea and the Implications

Chair: Marco Milani (Bologna University, Italy)
Speakers (30 minutes x 2 speakers, 60 minutes)

Analysis of South Korean ODA in Mongolia under a Gender Mainstreaming Approach / Patricia Chica-Morales (University of Malaga, Spain)
Towards Trilateral and Multilateral Cooperation beyond Aid / Jae-Eun Noh (University of Western Australia, Australia)

Discussant (20 minutes)
Sojin Lim (University of Central Lancashire, UK)
Discussion with Q&A (30 minutes)

Day 2: 4 April 2023 (Tuesday)

9.00 AM – 10.50 AM / Session 3: Development Assistance from South to North Korea

Chair: Kyoungyun Moon (Junbuk University, South Korea / Visiting Scholar at University of Cambridge, UK)
Speakers (30 minutes x 2 speakers, 60 minutes)

Altruism or Ulterior Motives? South Korean Aid towards North Korea’s Sustainable Development / Queralt Boadella-Prunell & Lauren Robertson (University of Central Lancashire, UK)
Economic Sanctions on North Korea: The Role of Legislatures and Effects on Development Assistance from South Korea and the United States / Matt Abbott (Chicago Council on Global Affairs, US)

Discussant (20 minutes)
Marco Milani (University of Bologna, Italy)
Discussion with Q&A (30 minutes)

11.00 AM – 12.50 PM / Session 4: Experience of Development in South Korea and Its Implications

Chair: Jeong-Im Hyun (University of Central Lancashire, UK)
Speakers (30 minutes x 2 speakers, 60 minutes)

When Film Met Aid: The Transformation of Korea Model / Suweon Kim (Hankuk University of Foreign Studies, South Korea)
Transposing Miracle from the Han River to the Mekong River? Revisiting Roles of South Korea’s Economic Development to Mekong River Basin Countries / Juhee Jeong (Heidelberg University, Germany)

Discussant (20 minutes)
Juliette Schwak (Franklin University Switzerland, Switzerland)
Discussion with Q&A (30 minutes)
12.50 PM – 1.00 PM / Closing Remarks (Sojin Lim, Director of IKSU)

2022 IKSU Annual International Conference

Korean Politics and International Relations at Crossroads: Past, Present and the Future

7-8 January 2022

* This event will be held both online (via MS TEAMS) and offline, and open to all.

To attend the conference, please register by 31 December 2021 via Eventbrite.

Online link and on-campus venue information will be sent on 5 January 2022 to the registered emails.

Programme

Day 1: 7 January 2022 @ UCLan – the audience will be able to join both online and offline.

Day 2: 8 January 2022 @ Brockholes – the audience will be able to join online only.

This conference is funded by the Korean Studies Promotion Service, Academy of Korean Studies.

2021 IKSU Annual International Conference.

Exploring Landscape of K-Culture and Changes in Society: Past, Present and Future

Programme

Day 1: 26 April 2021

Scroll or swipe on small screens to see all table columns

Day 2: 27 April 2021

Scroll or swipe on small screens to see all table columns

• Social Sciences Korean Studies European Network (Soken) Annual Workshop 2019 – Korea at the Crossroads: Economic Development, Political Dynamics, and Social Changes in the Contemporary Korean Peninsula
• K-Drama And Korean Television Symposium
• The 8th Annual Korean Screen Cultures Conference: Interdisciplinarity and ‘Trans-Korean Studies
• International Workshop on the Landscape of Taiwan Studies and Korean Studies

Current Calls for Papers

Exploring Dynamics: Korean Anthropology and Sociology in a Global Context

The International Institute of Korean Studies (IKSU) is inviting scholars whose research focuses on the issues related to Korea, based on anthropology and/or sociology disciplinary approaches. After the conference, an edited volume will be published, and a special issue journal may also follow, depending on the number of participants. Not only established academics at different stages but also early career scholars—including postdoctoral researchers—and PhD candidates in relevant fields are encouraged to submit.

Schedule for Submission

• Proposal Submission Deadline (maximum 500 words of abstract): 15 December 2023
• Acceptance Notice: 15 January 2024
• IKSU Annual International Conference: 19-20 April 2024
• Full Paper Submission for Publication Deadline: 15 May 2024
• Submission to: IKSU-AKS@uclan.ac.uk.

Financial Support for Presenters

Travel costs will be reimbursed up to a maximum of GBP 150 for participants within the UK, GBP 400 for participants from EU countries, and GBP 800 for participants from the rest of the world (economy seats only). Up to three nights of accommodation will be covered by the host, depending on the participant’s flight schedule. We expect presenters to also participate as discussants at the conference. Only those who submitted the full paper by the publication deadline (15 May 2024) will be reimbursed for their travel expenses.

Previous Calls for Papers

Korean Politics and International Relations at Crossroads: Past, Present and the Future

University of Central Lancashire, UK, 7-8 January 2022

In the run up to the 2022 presidential election, the IKSU Annual International Conference will discuss how South Korea’s politics and international relations have evolved since the founding of the first Republic in 1948. The international relations of South Korea tend to heavily depend on each presidency, especially with regard to North Korea and relations with surrounding countries. In this sense, this conference will explore the past, present and future of South Korean politics and the international relations from a number of perspectives. After the conference, we will publish an edited volume based on the submitted papers. Papers from various disciplines are invited. Early career researchers and PhD candidates are also encouraged, along with academics at all stages of their career in a relevant field.

We plan to hold the first day of the conference at the main campus of the University of Central Lancashire, which is located in the city of Preston in the north of England, and the second day of the event at the Samlesbury Hall, a stunning 14^th century manor house and gardens in Lancashire.

Financial Support for Presenters

Travel cost will be reimbursed up to a maximum of GBP 100 for participants within the UK, GBP 250 for participants from EU countries, and GBP 500 for participants from the rest of the world. Up to three nights’ accommodation will be covered by the host, depending on the participant’s flight schedule. We expect presenters to also participate as discussants at the conference.

In the case that current COVID-19 situation persists until the conference dates, we will hold the event online. In this case, there will be no financial support for travel, but an honorarium for publication will be provided for the chapter authors of the edited volume. Venues are subject to change.

This conference is funded by the Academy of Korean Studies.

Exploring Landscape of K-Culture and Changes in Society: Past, Present and Future

University of Central Lancashire, UK, 26–27 April 2021

From K-Pop, K-dramas, and K-films to political activism, K-culture is no longer limited to entertainment. Recently, the power of K-Pop fans and social media have impacted the political scene in the US. With this in mind, the past, present and future of K-culture and its influence in society will be discussed at the 2021 IKSU Annual International Conference. The main aims of the conference are to provide a venue to explore the landscape of K-Culture and its influence in society, and to publish an edited volume.

Papers from various disciplines are invited. PhD candidate participation is also encouraged.

While the first day of the conference will be held at the main campus of the University of Central Lancashire, which is located in north of England, the second day of the event will be held at the Samlesbury Hall (14th century manor house and gardens), one of the stunning stately homes of Lancashire.

Financial Support for Presenters

Travel cost will be reimbursed up to GBP 300 for flights from EU countries, GBP 100 for train within the UK, and GBP 1,000 for flight from the rest of the world. Up to three nights’ accommodation will be provided for presenters, depending on flight schedule. We expect presenters also participate as discussants at the conference.

In the case that current COVID-19 situation persists until the conference dates, we will have the event online. In this case, there will be no financial support for travel, but an honorarium for publication will be provided for the chapter authors of the edited volume. Also, venues are subject to change in the case of local lockdown.

This conference is funded by the Academy of Korean Studies.

Economic Development and International Development Cooperation of the Korea Peninsula: Past, Present and the Future

University of Central Lancashire, UK, 3 - 4 April 2023

South Korea’s rapid economic success is a widely shared story. The role of South Korea as a donor member of the international development cooperation community has been extensively discussed, owing especially to the 10th anniversary celebration of its accession to the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development’s (OECD) Development Assistance Committee (DAC) in 2020. However, with the recent COVID-19 pandemic, there is an increasing need to expand the narratives around South Korea’s experience of development from a fragile recipient country to a donor country, within and beyond the Korean peninsula, in a more contemporary context.

With this in mind, the 2023 IKSU Annual International Conference aims to explore how South Korea’s economic development and its international development cooperation have evolved, including in relation to North Korea. After the conference, an edited volume will be published. Additionally, a special issue journal may follow contingent on a sufficient number of publishable papers being received. Papers from various disciplines are invited. Not only established academics at different stages, but also early career researchers and PhD candidates in relevant fields are encouraged to submit.

Financial Support for Presenters

Travel cost will be reimbursed up to a maximum of GBP 100 for participants within the UK, GBP 250 for participants from EU countries, and GBP 500 for participants from the rest of the world. Up to three nights’ accommodation will be covered by the host, depending on the participant’s flight schedule. We expect presenters to also participate as discussants at the conference.

Dr Michael J. Seth is a Professor of History at James Madison University. There he teaches East Asian and World history. He received his Ph.D. from the University of Hawaii, his M.A. and B.A. from the State University of New York at Binghamton. Seth is the author of Education Fever: Society, Politics and the Pursuit of Schooling in South Korea (2002), A Concise History of Korea (second edition, 2016), North Korea: A History (2018), and editor of The Routledge Handbook of Modern Korean History (2016).

Professor Eun Mee Kim is Dean of The Graduate School, Professor in the Graduate School of International Studies, Director of the Institute for Development and Human Security and Director of the Ewha Global Health Institute for Girls at Ewha Womans University.

She served as President of the Korea Association of International Development and Cooperation (2011, 2012). She has served as a member on the Committee for International Development Cooperation under the Prime Minister’s Office, the Policy Advisory Committee in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the Policy Advisory Committee in the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family. In 2012, she received the Service Merit Medal from the Republic of Korea for her contributions to the Fourth High-Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness in Busan.

In 2013, she received the first research grant to a university in South Korea from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation on her research project entitled, “Advocacy for Korean Engagement in Global Health and Development.” In 2016, she received a second grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation for a project entitled, “Korea Global Health Strategy.” In December 2016 she was appointed by the UN as one of 15 scientists in the world to work on the Global Sustainable Development Report 2019.

Dr Seon Jung Kim is Dean of International Office and Professor of the Department of Korean Studies at Keimyung University in Korea. She is also President of the Korean Language and Culture Education Society. She has published various of Korean text books in countries like United States, France and in Korea.

Ambassador Enna Park received an Honorary Doctorate here on 14 December 2022, based on her outstanding contributions to enhancing the quality of Korean studies, both nationally and internationally.

In her 37-year-long career as a diplomat, Enna has taken posts at the United Nations, the Korean Embassy in India, the Embassy in the People's Republic of China, and the Embassy in London, to name just a few. It's this experience and passion for making the world a better place through improving education and partnership that has made Enna the perfect individual to spearhead countless initiatives to promote the importance of educational partnerships between Korea and the United Kingdom.