뉴스레터

  The Association for Korean Studies in Europe(AKSE) is a representative organization for Koreanology research in Europe, hosting regular academic conferences every two years. This year, the 31st conference was held at the University of Copenhagen in Denmark from June 22nd to 25th. It was the first offline conference in four years since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, and thanks to the recent popularity of Korean popular culture, the conference achieved great success with a record attendance of 300 participants, the largest in the history of the association. There were 156 presenters in 40 panels among them. In terms of topics, unlike many academic conferences on Koreanology in the West that have focused on popular culture and modern history influenced by the Korean Wave, the AKSE conference largely focused on pre-modern fields. This is likely to reflects the strong tradition of European Koreanology, which emphasizes serious academic disciplines such as philosophy and history.

The panel presentation by Foundation’s delegation

  The foundation dispatched a delegation panel consisting of internal and external young researchers to this year’s AKSE conference. The panel’s theme was centered around the triangular relationship between Joseon, Qing, and the West in the mid-19th century. It aimed to examine the formation of Joseon’s perception of the West, the West’s perception of Joseon, Qing’s perception and response to Joseon-West relations, and Joseon’s coastal defense strategy in response to the appearance of Western ships.

The panel had three main intentions. Firstly, it sought to draw attention from academic communities to the early and mid-19th century, which has been relatively under-studied in Korean foreign relations history compared to the 18th and late 19th centuries. Secondly, it aimed to investigate China’s influence on Joseon-West relations and the changes in the East Asian international order during the transition period from obedient diplomacy to modern diplomacy. Lastly, it critically examined the discussions on the ‘relations between the central state and vassal states’ or ‘system of central state and vassal states’ that have been recently raised by the Chinese academic communities and overseas Chinese scholars. Research fellow Shin Hyoseung at the Korea-Japan Historical Affairs Research Institute Foundation served as a moderator online, while research fellow Lee Dongwook at the Korea-China Relations Institute Foundation, senior researcher So Jinhyoung at the Humanities Research Institute of Seoul National University, Professor Son Sungwook in the Department of History at Changwon National University, and Professor Min Jangwon in the Department of Humanities at the Republic of Korea Naval Academy were responsible for the panel presentations.

  The panel presentation by the foundation's delegation went smoothly on the afternoon of June 23rd, with dozens of audience members in attendance. During the hour of debate, questions were raised on perspectives regarding China’s tributary relations with neighboring countries from a security dimension, as well as the international legal interpretation of China’s suzerainty and Joseon’s sovereign state status in the late 19th century. Some audience members engaged in lively discussions with the presenters even during the break time.

Seeking to Build a Network for International Cooperation

  The foundation’s delegation had the opportunity to interact with local European scholars at the AKSE conference venue and listen to various opinions for future international cooperation projects. Particularly, it was a meaningful achievement to meet researchers who proposed to conduct research projects on Korean ancient history in Europe with the Foundation, who offered to introduce Koreanology experts to translate the excellent works published by the Foundation into English, and who advised to translate and publish Foundation’s books in French through the introduction by Senior Researcher So Jinhyung(Seoul National University).

  On the other hand, some researchers pointed out that presenting and promoting Koreas stance unilaterally could be perceived as political propaganda in Europe, leading to resistance. They added advice on the need of strategies such as building academic trust with European academic communities through academic events, maintaining objectivity in research, and forming a consensus by prioritizing the introduction of research outcomes that can attract interest in Europe. Generally, it is said that Europeans are less interested in the historical conflicts among Korea, China, and Japan and tend to approach historical issues from the perspectives of China and Japan rather than Korea. This tendency is attributed to the long-standing tradition of Sinology and Japanology in Europe compared to the relatively short Koreanology. To overcome this, efforts are needed to establish Koreanology as an independent academic discipline in Europe, and Korean scholars should actively interact with European academic communities.

Outlook and Challenges

  In recent times, the popularity of Korean popular culture has contributed to a significant increase in Korean-related departments in European universities. AKSE boasts a wide network across Europe, and its members have developed close fellowship. Many of them have experience in studying or staying in Korea and speak Korean fluently. Moreover, numerous researchers express a strong desire for active exchange and cooperation with Korea. To address future historical challenges in Northeast Asia and internationalize Koreanology, it is necessary to continuously strengthen cooperative networks with the European academic communities.