Culture and Democracy in Contemporary Korea (Lecture by Prof. KIM Hang)

Zoom Webinar (Register here)

The so-called ‘K’ culture originating from South Korea has gained popularity not only in Japan but also globally. Seventy years ago, South Korea was one of the poorest countries in the world, receiving support from the international community. Then, under a long-lasting authoritarian regime, the country pushed forward with economic development. It would have been unimaginable at that time that South Korea would attract such attention in the global popular culture scene. This talk will focus on understanding this current situation in the context of political, economic, and societal changes in South Korea since the late 1990s. By doing so, it will provide an opportunity to shed light on the relationship between culture and democracy in contemporary South Korea, and offer some modest insights for contemplating the often turbulent Japan-Korea relations.

Lecture 

KIM Hang

(Tokyo College Professor, The University of Tokyo; Professor, Yonsei University)

Comment

ISHII Tsuyoshi

(Professor, Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, The University of Tokyo;

Director, East Asian Academy for New Liberal Arts, The University of Tokyo)

Moderator

SHIMAZU Naoko

(Professor, Tokyo College, The University of Tokyo)