This paper investigates the syncretic interplay between Daoist and shamanistic imagery in Goguryeo tomb murals of Korea's Three Kingdoms period. Focusing on motifs from the Anak, Ohoe and Samsilchong tomb mural complexes, the study traces how indigenous spiritual symbols, such as shamanic figures and cosmological patterns, were reinterpreted through imported Daoist cosmology. Through a comparative iconographic and textual analysis, it argues that these murals reveal a dynamic process of cultural exchange, wherein Daoist cosmological themes were integrated into Korea's pre-existing shamanic worldview. The visual synthesis of divine figures like Fuxi and N & uuml;wa with native spiritual motifs demonstrates not mere artistic borrowing but the formation of a localized religious language that articulated the unity of heaven, earth, and humanity. This study contributes to understanding how Daoist metaphysics and indigenous Korean beliefs coexisted and interacted during the early development of Korea's religious identity, offering new insights into the spiritual pluralism of premodern East Asia.
This study examines how human rights discourse has been established in South Korea from 1990 to 2010, focusing on who talks about what, and how those themes are connected or not over time. By representing a novel corpus incorporating these stakeholders' human rights-related texts as topics based on semantic similarities, this study accounts for Korean human rights discourse as a result of how the stakeholders did or did not connect topics that vary in drift (i.e., how a similar theme is framed via different vocabularies) and span (i.e., how long the topics remain active in focus). Korean human rights discourse is largely characterized by the persistence of topics, regardless of whether their vocabulary is stabilized or continuously evolving. Each stakeholder shows a distinct style of bridging topics with different drift-span indexes over time. Topics with similar levels of drift and span are bridged predominantly, and it is less likely for topics whose drift-span indexes are different to appear together in a single document. However, when semantic similarities are considered, it becomes clearer that enduring topics with low drift consist of core themes, and topics that are similarly persistent with high drift play an important bridging role.
This article explores how the concept of "civilization" (munmyeong (sic)(sic)) was refunctioned in two Korean associational journals published following the 1905 protectorate: Dae-Han jaganghoe wolbo (1906-1907) and Giho heunghakhoe wolbo (1908-1909). Using co-occurrence network analysis combined with genre-sensitive close reading, it demonstrates that munmyeong served different organizational functions depending on field-specific contexts. In Dae-Han jaganghoe wolbo, the concept was linked with legality, local autonomy, and institutional standards, functioning as a language of state capacity that both justified reform and expressed ambivalence toward Japan. Conversely, in Giho heunghakhoe wolbo, munmyeong was integrated into educational and associative frameworks, including teacher training, school establishment, branch expansion, and civic self-cultivation. This shift moved the focus of civilizational efforts from external sovereignty claims to practical, collective survival practices under increased surveillance after 1907. Drawing on Bourdieu's field theory and Elias's view of civilization as a process, the article suggests that the concept's role was influenced not only by its lexical meaning but also by genre, organizational routines, and political constraints. Overall, it illustrates how Korean reformers transformed "civilization" from a state-centered evaluative framework into an educational and organizational routine within associational print media.
This study examines the lifespans and career trajectories of Joseon yangban elites using linked biographical records. Drawing on Whos' Who in Korean History and the Annals of the Joseon Dynasty, the study links examination rosters, biographical records, and appointment histories to reconstruct lifespan and career patterns across the dynasty's five-century span. Findings reveal significant lifespan variations; court eunuchs lived longest, kings shortest, while officials across tracks averaged around 61 years. Exam-passing age differed systematically by track (japkkwa youngest, munban oldest) and varied by region of residence at exam time and by lineage. Earlier exam passage and established family lineage were associated with greater long-term career success, while exam rank itself showed no significant association with eventual career achievement after adjusting for other covariates. Seoul residence at exam time was associated with earlier exam passage but showed no independent association with career outcomes once timing and lineage were included as covariates. These results suggest that early bureaucratic entry and established family background showed stronger associations with long-term advancement than either region of residence or performance among successful candidates.
This paper clarifies the operating logic of the late Joseon land tax system through parcel-level analysis of historical land registers. Since the 1960s, Korean historiography has relied on quantitative, ledger-level analysis of these materials to explain socio-economic change in late Joseon society. Yet most such studies were conducted without identifying the physical location of the parcels recorded in the registers. Land was therefore treated as an abstract unit of calculation rather than a spatially situated entity, largely because no cadastral maps accompanied the textual records. To overcome this limitation, the study employs JigsawMap, a digital tool for reconstructing cadastral space from textual land records and enabling parcel-level comparison across periods. By spatially aligning parcels across documentary layers, JigsawMap makes it possible to trace how recorded areas and assessment values were adjusted in response to land category, topography, landholder residency, and regional transport burdens. These patterns reflect not administrative disorder or technical imprecision but a fiscal logic that prioritized calibrated balance over exact measurement. By redirecting analysis from text back into space, this study demonstrates how digital reconstruction can refine empirical inquiry while illuminating the rationality embedded in Joseon administrative practice.
Following the onset of Japanese colonial rule, the Mt. Geumgang region was recontextualized within a new binary: Outer Geumgang came to symbolize modernity, while an idealized, romanticized notion of antiquity was projected onto the pristine landscape of Inner Geumgang. This study examines the sense of place of Inner Geumgang and its visual representations during the first half of the twentieth century. Once a major destination for premodern travelers, Inner Geumgang came to be redefined primarily through the beauty of its valleys, with tranquil streams brought to the foreground and its numerous peaks relegated to the background. Its most renowned sites were severed from their previous associations and reinterpreted through a feminized lens. Manpokdong was redefined as "serene" and Myeonggyeongdae was transformed from a Buddhist mirror of judgment into a vanity mirror associated with female adornment. By analyzing the interplay between colonial tourism and visual representations, this study demonstrates how gendered reconfigurations of Mt. Geumgang and its scenery reshaped the modern perception of its landscape and contributed to a new visual regime.
This study introduces KPoEM (Korean Poetry Emotion Mapping), a novel dataset that serves as a foundation for both emotion-centered analysis and generative applications in modern Korean poetry. Despite advancements in NLP, poetry remains underexplored due to its complex figurative language and cultural specificity. We constructed a multi-label dataset of 7,622 entries (7,007 line-level and 615 work-level), annotated with 44 fine-grained emotion categories, drawn from the works of five influential Korean poets. The KPoEM emotion classification model, fine-tuned through a sequential strategy-moving from general-domain emotion corpus (KOTE) to the specialized KPoEM dataset-achieved a micro F1-score of 0.60, significantly outperforming the baseline model (0.43). The model demonstrates an enhanced ability to identify temporally and culturally specific emotional expressions while preserving core poetic sentiments. Furthermore, applying the structured emotion dataset to a Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG)-based poetry generation model demonstrates the feasibility of generating poetic texts that reflect the emotional and cultural sensibilities of Korean literature. This integrated approach strengthens the connection between computational techniques and literary analysis, opening new pathways for quantitative emotion research and generative poetics.
This study explores the evolving role of Korean ethnic churches in Argentina, focusing on the motivations behind younger-generation Korean Argentines' involvement and the broader social and cultural dynamics shaping their community. Many initially attended churches as children due to parental expectations or social reasons but later developed personal religious beliefs and became actively engaged in these institutions. While religious faith remains the primary reason for attendance, social factors-such as the comfort of interacting with fellow Koreans-also play a crucial role. Additionally, many churchgoing parents emphasize the significant role these churches play in their children's education, prioritizing a supportive environment that fosters learning and instills positive values, which in turn facilitates their children's integration into the Korean community. Thus, while religious devotion is primary, these churches cultivate a strong sense of belonging and reinforce ethnic solidarity. However, this tight-knit environment may also limit integration into broader Argentine society, restricting cross-cultural engagement beyond the community. Offering valuable insights into immigrant community dynamics in the Global South, distinct from the experiences of their counterparts in the Global North, this study fills a critical gap in research on Korean migration, shedding light on generational shifts, the evolving role of these institutions in immigrant communities, and their impact on social integration into the host society.
This study explores the influence of ethnic identity on the transnational engagement of young Zainichi Koreans within contemporary Japan. Although prior scholarship largely adopted static diaspora perspectives, this research foregrounds the dynamic, multidimensional identity practices of third-to fifth-generation Zainichi individuals in their 20s and 30s. Data were obtained via an online survey administered in November 2024, comprising 170 respondents. The study utilized a structured questionnaire to assess ethnic identity, varying levels of integration into Japanese society, and economic, political, and sociocultural aspects of transnational engagement. Statistical analyses, such as correlation and multiple regression, were conducted to evaluate the research model. To complement the survey findings and to provide contextual understanding of patterns that are difficult to capture through quantitative measures alone, three semi-structured interviews were conducted between January and February 2025 with participants selected to reflect variation in nationality status and generational background. Findings indicate that a strong ethnic identity positively correlates with elevated transnational engagement across all examined domains. While higher levels of integration into Japanese society do not uniformly suppress transnational engagement, certain dimensions of structural incorporation function as enabling resources that facilitate sustained cross-border practices. Sociodemographic variables such as generation, nationality, and family background significantly moderate these associations. This research underscores that young Zainichi Koreans are actively constructing hybrid, digitally mediated identities in their daily transnational lives, thereby challenging traditional diaspora paradigms. These results extend current discussions on migrant integration, identity negotiation, and the significance of transnationalism for post-diasporic generations.
This paper examines the K-pop virtual idol group PLAVE as a diagnostic case for understanding K-pop's logics of authenticity, fandom labor, and visibility. Drawing on topic modeling of over 150,000 YouTube comments, supported by close readings of fan discourse and platform behavior, the study proceeds in three movements. It first shows how PLAVE's avatar-based performances generate affective resonance despite ontological ambiguity, with fans recalibrating authenticity through emotional response, interpretive labor, and collective meaning-making-foregrounding sincerity over physical presence. It then examines the challenges this mode of authentication produces, from controversies over generative AI imagery to tensions around cultural legibility and global visibility. Finally, situating PLAVE within debates on technoorientalism, post-human performance, and K-pop's shifting global dynamics, the paper argues that PLAVE does not rupture K-pop's logic but intensifies its core mechanisms. Their abstraction, moral entanglement, and narrative insulation reveal K-pop's dependence on emotional legibility rather than bodily visibility. PLAVE thus serves not as a novelty, but as a crystallization of the industry's present condition-where belief is no longer anchored in sight, but in shared affective structure.
In this article, I examine the Historical Cultural Markers, a commemorative program in Seoul to mark and preserve historic sites through 347 markers as of July 31, 2024. Most of its academic influences come from cultural and historical geographers who focused on tangible aspects, and GIS serves as a key method to restore and visualize historic sites in a shapefile format. Markers differ from other texts with the absence of physical remnants on the ground, and this nature results in conflicting information in space and time. The conflict in space occurs when a marker is installed away from its corresponding historic site, whereas the conflict in time means a discrepancy between outdated and updated information. Seoul implements its countermeasures to prevent the public misunderstanding caused by spatiotemporal conflicts, and I categorized its countermeasures into four: text and map, data accumulation, relocation, and removal. The measures help the city officials cope with contradictory data, but their treatment is always subject to unexpected incidents or the citizens' complaints. By explaining these problems and solutions regarding the Seoul markers, I argue that the markers, the storytellers, have as much academic significance as the stories they tell.
Are humans inherently good or not? Do humans inherently possess goodness, or is goodness defined by moral action? This article examines these questions through the debate between King Jeongjo and Jeong Yakyong. Previous researchers did not recognize Jeong Yakyong's philosophical shift. In their debate, both agreed with Mencius's claim that human nature is good. However, Jeongjo interpreted Mencius's argument through Zhu Xiss concepts of lid and ki (sic), and his interpretation shared a common point with the Horak (sic)(sic)scholars. After Jeogjo's death, Jeong revised his claim, asserting that humans are not innately good but possess a nature inclined toward goodness, which causes them to feel shame when they commit evil. This perspective deviated from Jeongjo and Mencius. Jeong's assertion incorporated Matteo Ricci's ideas, thereby enabling him to develop a unique standpoint. Therefore, Jeong argued that ren (sic) refers to a moral action, and not to an innate morality within humans. He drew this idea from Confucius's concept of ren, which differed from the perspectives of Ricci, Mencius, and Jeongjo, as well as from Yi Ik he paid respect to. Thus, Jeong's ideas were newly formed through Confucian moral philosophy, while Jeongjo grounded his views within the framework of Zhu.
This paper is fundamental study of eupchi in the Joseon dynasty, examining the state of eupseong, or walled eupseong, from the 15(th) century, when they originated, to the 19(th) century. Eupchi were the administrative, military, and economic centers of gunhyeon in Joseon. This paper regards the eupchi as the equivalent of dohoe, or pre-modern urban centers, in Korea. The approximately 330 eupchi established in the early 15(th) century remained largely unchanged until 1914, despite frequent elevations and demotions of their ranks. Among them, the number of walled eupchi increased from approximately 110 in the 15(th) century to 132-144 in the 19(th) century, with a clear national trend of them being located along with the coast. Joseon's village fortresses were mostly established newly, or renovated or expanded from earthen fortifications into stone fortresses when Goryeo's chiso fortresses, located in mountainous areas, moved to flatlands during the early Joseon dynasty. The upper and ruling class at the time did not reside in the eupchi, the administrative centers of gunhyeon, which is a unique characteristic of Joseon, distinct from contemporary Europe and East Asia. The modernization of Korea, which began in the late 19(th )century and continued throughout the first half of the 20(th) century, brought sweeping changes to society. However, Joseon's eupchi remained outside this trend. Their transition into modern cities began in the 1970s, largely due to the fact that local leaders did not reside in those regions. Eupseong is attracting attention as tourist attractions as they hint at the landscape of pre-modern cities. Each city and county has been actively conducting restoration projects for the eupchi and eupseong for over 20 years to revitalize its local economy.
Korean toponyms have changed across eras and geographical scales, aligning with the ideologies and identities pursued by the agents of renaming. From the renaming of the six bu (sic)(sic) during the ninth year of Yuri Isageum of Silla (32 CE) up to recent examples such as Digital Media City Station on the Seoul Gyeongui Line, names have been altered according to the preferences of the renaming agents of each period. This article introduces the characteristics and types of toponym renaming across different eras by consolidating relevant research to understand the history of renaming and transformation of Korean toponyms. The article particularly emphasizes the types and trends observed during the toponymic renaming process. First, it highlights that around 1914, during the Japanese colonial period, myeon toponyms in Gyeonggi-do were renamed in six types: compound toponyms, influential myeon toponyms, influential Bong or ri toponyms, shared toponyms, old toponyms, and new toponyms. Second, the article describes six key tendencies observed during the process of toponym renaming and standardization: Sinicization of two-character toponyms, unification of generic names, composite toponym creation, foreign-language toponym creation, dominant ideological toponym creation, and the replacement of physical toponyms with abstract toponyms. Finally, while reflecting on the narrow ontology and epistemology of previous toponym research conducted from an anthropocentric perspective, this paper suggests the necessity of non-Anthropocentric research on the non-human agents that have participated in the naming and renaming of toponyms.
This essay is to retrace the French folk geographer Charles Varat's journey in Korea in 1888 by following his route on Daedong yeojido. In the 19th century, Korea was uncharted land to Westerners. After the 1880s when treaties with Western countries proceeded, many travelers visited Korea and left records of their journeys. Varat's trip began in October 1888 at Jemulpo and continued for approximately 2 months. In his travel, he experienced various places including Seoul, Daegu via Joryeong Pass, and Busan, after which he sailed to Wonsan. During his stay, he left detailed records of his experiences of each place and of collected folk items. The maps, drawings, and engravings of photographs featured are rich in detail compared to other travelogues. And his narration is free and unconstrained by any fixed format. Varat displays encompassing and inviting views towards Korea, who were foreigners to him, and he gains a deeper understanding of the spiritual world of Koreans. "Voyage en Cor & eacute;e" is about Koreans' way of life in harmony with their environment and displays an attentiveness to uniqueness and universality both. This shows that Varat was influenced by the study of human geography of France during this period. His travelogue influenced the formation of a new image of Korea, moving beyond the previous image created by missionaries and soldiers.
Historical geography is a distinct subdiscipline within human geography whose prime concern lies with the reconstruction of past geographies and tracing their transformation in the regional context. The geographies of the past that the Schools of Cambridge, Berkeley, Kyoto, Yugong, and Lee tried to reconstruct were customarily called historical landscape as well. Initially landscape denoted a concrete realm of the region and it was only after the onset of modern capitalism in the 16th century that landscape came to indicate a genre of art or rural scenery to be consumed emotionally and visually. Geomorphology turns out to be the first which made landscape, formerly agrarian land or landscape painting, an object of disciplinary inquiry. Also responsible for the institutionalization of landscape studies were English historians, historical geographers, and Carl Sauer of Berkeley. On condition that landscape consistently transforms itself with time, European scholars set out to reconstruct cross-sections of the past and those on the other side of the Atlantic focused on changing cultural landscape in line with Sauerean culture history. The year 1980 marked the turning point which saw the transition from empiricist traditional cultural geography into theory-oriented new cultural geography. The subsequent cultural turn of historical geography leads up to more nuanced, critical, and interpretative historical geography embracing the metaphors of ways of seeing, text, icon, etc. Another point of reference is that historical landscape is put to the test of time; it is shaped, transformed, and-with the exception of a few-vanished near the end of its life cycle. The fact that historical landscape both as clues about the past and as heritage is on the verge of extinguishing asks for protection and preservation. As if to respond to the urgent call, natural and cultural landscapes start to be discussed within the realms of environmental ethics and, as they represent collective memory and group identity, heritage preservation. Amid growing concern for the utilization of landscape heritage, some historical landscapes of prime importance have been designated world heritage-natural or cultural-to be visited by and preserved for world tourists and be transmitted to the next generation.
