KOREA FOUNDATION

To improve research work on Korean literature and to foster the next generation of scholars in Korean literature, the KF will host a Korean Literature Workshop for Overseas Doctoral Students on July 5–10, with sessions in Seoul, Wonju, and Chuncheon. The workshop will be held with the participation of 23 doctoral students of Korean literature from 12 prestigious universities around the world, including SOAS, University of London, the Russian State University for the Humanities, the University of Tokyo, and UCLA.
  After the keynote speech by Kwon Young-min, Professor Emeritus at Seoul National University, the participants will learn the trends in research on Korean literature, and discuss the direction for future research and Korean Studies. They will also attend a lecture on research methods in Korean literature, in which Theodore Hughes, a Professor from Columbia University, will explain the difficulties faced by international scholars who conduct research on Korean literature, and also offer advice to the students based on his years of experience. This will be followed by participants’ presentations of their PhD dissertations, along with mentoring advice from prominent scholars in their respective fields on how to write more effective dissertations. Furthermore, to spark greater interest in the literature and writers of Korea, there will be a panel discussion featuring novelist Oh Jeong-hee. This discussion will enable students to view contemporary Korean society through the lens of its literature. In addition, the workshop attendees will visit Toji Cultural Centre and Kim You Jeong House of Literature to experience and individualize the lives of the great Korean writers and their oeuvres with the in-depth explanation of the expertise. The visit will enable participants to intensify their knowledge and understanding of Korean literature.