[KS] Monash Beyond Borders Korean Studies Seminar Series 2026

[Sandy Nguyen]

Dear KS list members,

I hope you are well!

Please note the following seminar talk organised by Monash
University Korean Studies Research Hub. Registration details are also
included below. Hope to see you there.

Many thanks,
Sandy.

_____________

*Monash University Korean Studies Research Hub (MUKSRH) presents:*




*Monash Beyond Borders Korean Studies Seminar Series 2026*


*' An Analysis of North Korean Textbooks in the Kim Jong-un Era'*


Associate Professor Dong Bae (Issac) Lee (University of Queensland)



15th October 2026, 4-5pm (Melbourne time), via ZOOM



*Abstract:*

This project examines North Korean elementary school textbooks as
ideological instruments that cultivate emotional loyalty and political
obedience to the supreme leader. Through Critical Discourse Analysis and
narrative inquiry, it analyses eight Korean language textbooks from the Kim
Jong-un era, revealing how authoritarian values are embedded from early
childhood.

At the core of the curriculum is the deification of Kim Il-sung and Kim
Jong-un, who are portrayed as paternal figures whose sacrifices secure
national strength and personal well-being. Emotionally charged first-person
narratives encourage students to understand obedience as a moral duty and
diligent study as a form of repayment for the leader’s benevolence, thereby
fostering intergenerational loyalty. For example, the glorification of
Hyang-rim’s self-sacrifice to protect portraits of the leaders illustrates
how devotion and selflessness are normalised. Such narratives align
personal identity with state interests and present military service as both
honourable and expected.

Another example is Geum-sun’s statement that Kim Il-sung was “both a dear
father and the foundation of her spirit,” which illustrates Puleungi-sasang
ideology, in which the leader’s authority is closely associated with
parental love and life itself. This ritualised emotional attachment helps
secure the regime’s political legitimacy.

Education is framed not as a right but as a privilege granted by the
leader. Historical trauma under Japanese colonialism is contrasted with
present-day prosperity in order to legitimise the regime, while
anti-American sentiment is reinforced through depictions of Americans and
Christian missionaries as hostile invaders. Ultimately, the textbooks
construct political subjectivity by fusing civic identity with personal
devotion to the leader, reinforcing nationalism, legitimising political
authority, and portraying loyalty as both virtuous and essential.


*Bio: *

Associate Professor Dong Bae (Isaac) Lee is an academic in Korean Studies
and Korean language education at the University of Queensland, Australia.
He holds an MA in Applied Linguistics and a PhD in Critical Curriculum
Studies and has more than two decades of experience in university teaching,
research, postgraduate supervision, curriculum development, and academic
leadership.

His research is interdisciplinary, spanning critical curriculum and
textbook studies, language education, nationalism, identity, ideology,
multiculturalism, environmental and sustainability education, and critical
discourse analysis. His work has examined English, Korean, and Chinese
language textbooks and school curricula across a range of national
contexts, including South Korea, North Korea, China, Japan, Vietnam,
Indonesia, Saudi Arabia, Iran, and Australia. He has also conducted
research on North Korean education and curriculum, North Korean defectors,
and issues of identity among overseas Korean communities.

Associate Professor Lee has published two research monographs with
international academic publishers, more than 45 peer-reviewed journal
articles and book chapters, and a co-authored book. His recent research
examines environmental education, sustainability, environmental
citizenship, national identity, ideology, and the ways in which school
curricula and textbooks construct national and global futures, particularly
across the Indo-Pacific region.

At the University of Queensland, he has played a significant role in the
development of Korean Studies and has served as Director and Co-Director of
the Korean Studies Centre. He is also actively involved in international
research collaboration, postgraduate supervision, and the mentoring of
early-career and next-generation scholars.

Register here <https://forms.gle/puWcowyv2WJMYTrQA>.

Please contact Monash University Korean Studies Research Hub Coordinator Ms
Sandy Nguyen for further details.Sandy.Nguyen1 at monash.edu
<Sandy.nguyen1 at monash.edu>

__________________

Kind Regards,

Sandy Nguyen

*MUKSRH Coordinator*

Website: Monash Korean Studies Research Hub
<https://www.monash.edu/arts/languages-literatures-cultures-linguistics/korean-studies-research-hub>

Facebook: MonashUniKorean <https://www.facebook.com/monashunikorean.edu/>

Twitter: @MonashUniKorean <https://twitter.com/MonashUniKorean>
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://koreanstudies.com/pipermail/koreanstudies_koreanstudies.com/attachments/20260916/90587881/attachment-0001.html>
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: Seminar Poster.png
Type: image/png
Size: 736205 bytes
Desc: not available
URL: <http://koreanstudies.com/pipermail/koreanstudies_koreanstudies.com/attachments/20260916/90587881/attachment-0001.png>