<div dir="ltr"><div>Dear Korean Studies Colleagues,<br><br>I am pleased to share the Call for Papers for the <b>2025 SNU International Conference for Contemporary Korean Studies</b>, to be held at Seoul National University on<b> August 22-23, 2025</b>.<br><br>We warmly invite you to submit a panel or paper proposal and encourage you to share this CFP with others who might be interested. Thank you for your support, and we look forward to your participation!<br><br>Best,</div><div>Seung Cheol Lee</div><div><br></div>-----<div dir="ltr" class="gmail_signature"><div dir="ltr"><div></div><div></div></div></div><div><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin:0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;text-align:center;line-height:17.6px;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><b><span style="font-size:14pt;line-height:22.4px;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><br></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin:0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;text-align:center;line-height:17.6px;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><b><span style="font-size:14pt;line-height:22.4px;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">2025 SNU International Conference for Contemporary Korean Studies</span></b><span style="font-size:14pt;line-height:22.4px;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin:0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;text-align:center;line-height:17.6px;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><b><span style="font-size:12pt;line-height:19.2px;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"> </span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin:0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;text-align:center;line-height:17.6px;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><b><span style="font-size:12pt;line-height:19.2px;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">Date:</span></b><span style="font-size:12pt;line-height:19.2px;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"> August 22-23, 2025<br><b>Location:</b> Seoul National University, Seoul, South Korea</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;line-height:17.6px;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><b><span style="font-size:13.5pt;line-height:21.6px;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"> </span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;line-height:17.6px;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><b style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-size:12pt;line-height:19.2px;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">Korea as Symptom: Perspectives on the Future</span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;line-height:17.6px;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:12pt;line-height:19.2px;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">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.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;line-height:17.6px;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:12pt;line-height:19.2px;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><br></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;line-height:17.6px;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><br></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;line-height:17.6px;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:12pt;line-height:19.2px;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">This year’s theme, <b>Korea as Symptom: Perspectives on the Future</b>, 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?</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;line-height:17.6px;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:12pt;line-height:19.2px;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;line-height:17.6px;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:12pt;line-height:19.2px;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">We welcome submissions that engage with, but are not limited to, the following themes:</span></p><ul type="disc" style="margin-top:0cm;margin-bottom:0cm"><li class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;line-height:17.6px;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:12pt;line-height:19.2px;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">Narratives and imaginaries of Korea’s past, present, and future</span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;line-height:17.6px;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:12pt;line-height:19.2px;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">Theoretical and empirical explorations on Korean futurity</span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;line-height:17.6px;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:12pt;line-height:19.2px;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">Korean modernity and developmental trajectories</span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;line-height:17.6px;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:12pt;line-height:19.2px;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">Historical and comparative analyses of the Korean political economy</span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;line-height:17.6px;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:12pt;line-height:19.2px;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">Comparative perspectives on Korean politics and statehood</span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;line-height:17.6px;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:12pt;line-height:19.2px;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">Korean identity, values, and their transformations</span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;line-height:17.6px;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:12pt;line-height:19.2px;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">Shifts in Korean religion and spiritual practices</span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;line-height:17.6px;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:12pt;line-height:19.2px;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">Contemporary Korean music and art</span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;line-height:17.6px;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:12pt;line-height:19.2px;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">The global rise and influence of Korean popular culture</span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;line-height:17.6px;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:12pt;line-height:19.2px;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">Other themes relevant to contemporary Korean studies</span></li></ul><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0cm 0cm 0.0001pt 36pt;line-height:17.6px;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:12pt;line-height:19.2px;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;line-height:17.6px;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:12pt;line-height:19.2px;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;line-height:17.6px;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><b><span style="font-size:12pt;line-height:19.2px;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">Languag</span></b><b><span style="font-size:12pt;line-height:19.2px;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">e</span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;line-height:17.6px;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:12pt;line-height:19.2px;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">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.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;line-height:17.6px;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:12pt;line-height:19.2px;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;line-height:17.6px;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><b><span style="font-size:12pt;line-height:19.2px;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">Registration Fee</span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;line-height:17.6px;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:12pt;line-height:19.2px;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">There is no registration fee for this conference. Additionally, financial support may be available for graduate students presenting at the conference.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;line-height:17.6px;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:12pt;line-height:19.2px;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;line-height:17.6px;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><b><span style="font-size:12pt;line-height:19.2px;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">Submission Types</span></b></p><ul type="disc" style="margin-top:0cm;margin-bottom:0cm"><li class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;line-height:17.6px;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><b><span style="font-size:12pt;line-height:19.2px;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">Individual Papers:</span></b><span style="font-size:12pt;line-height:19.2px;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"> 15-20 minute presentations</span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;line-height:17.6px;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><b><span style="font-size:12pt;line-height:19.2px;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">Panels:</span></b><span style="font-size:12pt;line-height:19.2px;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"> 3-5 papers plus a discussant and a chair</span></li></ul><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;line-height:17.6px;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><b><span style="font-size:12pt;line-height:19.2px;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"> </span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;line-height:17.6px;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><b><span style="font-size:12pt;line-height:19.2px;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">Word Limits</span></b></p><ul type="disc" style="margin-top:0cm;margin-bottom:0cm"><li class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;line-height:17.6px;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:12pt;line-height:19.2px;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">Panel abstracts: 250 words (accompanied by 3-5 individual paper abstracts of 200 words each and short bios of the presenters)</span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;line-height:17.6px;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:12pt;line-height:19.2px;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">Paper abstracts: 200 words (accompanied by a short bio of the presenter; only one paper presentation is allowed per person)</span></li></ul><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;line-height:17.6px;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><b><span style="font-size:12pt;line-height:19.2px;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"> </span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;line-height:17.6px;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><b><span style="font-size:12pt;line-height:19.2px;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">Submission Deadline</span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;line-height:17.6px;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:12pt;line-height:19.2px;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">Please submit panel and paper abstracts by <b>February 28, 2025</b>, to the following email address: <b><a href="mailto:snucks2025@gmail.com" target="_blank">snucks2025@gmail.com</a></b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;line-height:17.6px;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:12pt;line-height:19.2px;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;line-height:17.6px;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:12pt;line-height:19.2px;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">The program committee will notify applicants of acceptance decisions by <b>March 20, 2025</b>. For inquiries, please contact the same email address.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;line-height:17.6px;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:12pt;line-height:19.2px;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><br></span></p></div></div>