---

[SPECIAL LECTURE] War, Speed, and Care: Korean Society through the Lens of Literature

Abstract:

This lecture examines how Korean literature reflects the historical and social conditions of modern Korea through three key themes: war, speed, and care. The Korean War has been revisited in Korean literature for decades, and Korea’s enduring militaristic culture continues to evoke the sense of a war that has never fully ended. At the same time, the struggle for survival has accelerated many aspects of Korean society, producing a culture marked by speed and pervasive anxiety. These dynamics often appear in modern Korean fiction, where characters struggle either to keep pace with shifting social expectations or to resist them. The tempo and narrative form of these works frequently mirror the experience of social acceleration itself. Against this backdrop of violence and pressure, contemporary Korean literature raises another question: what forms of care might allow us to imagine different ways of living together today?

Speaker:

Dr. Wookyung Jeong is a lecturer at Incheon National University and Kyung Hee University. She received her PhD in Modern Korean Literature from Seoul National University, where her dissertation examined the literature of Ch’oe Yun and the poetics of translation. Her research interests include translation studies, multilingual literature, women’s writing, and care. Recently, she has been exploring Korean novels, poetry, and webtoons translated into French and English.

YouTube Live Link: https://www.youtube.com/live/tYfiiI3PnMQ

This online lecture is co-hosted by UP Center for International Studies, Seoul National University Asia Center, and UP KRC with support of the Korea Foundation-한국국제교류재단.