New Books in Korean Studies Colloquium 2026
The 2026 New Books in Korean Studies will be held in UCI on Friday, May 22. Five scholars will discuss their recently published books in conversation with UCI graduate students, who will serve as respondents. This all-day colloquium will feature Serk-Bae Suh, Jennifer Chun, Pil Ho Kim, Christine Kim, and Ben Han.
Friday, May 22, 2026
UC Irvine Humanities Gateway 1010
REGISTRATION
https://forms.gle/ztc9Y2cvzdD8AB7Y8
Opening Remark
10:45 a.m. - 10:00 a.m.
Joseph Jonghyun Jeon (Director, CCKS)
PANEL 1
10:00 a.m. - 10:50 a.m.
Against the Chains of Utility 1970s, 80s in South Korea (2025, Hawai’i UP)
Serk-Bae Suh, Author (UCI) & Blossom Jeong, Discussant (UCI, EAS)
PANEL 2
11:00 a.m. - 11:50 a.m.
Against Abandonment: Repertoires of Solidarity in South Korean Protest (2025, Princeton UP)
Jennifer Chun, Author (UCLA) & Jung-ha Hwang, Discussant (UCI, History)
Lunch
11:50 a.m. - 01:00 p.m.
PANEL 3
01:00 p.m. - 01:50 p.m.
Polarizing Dreams: Gangnam and Popular Culture in Globalizing Korea (2024, Hawai’i UP)
Pil Ho Kim, Author (OSU) & Juwon Lee, Discussant (UCI, Anthropology)
PANEL 4
02:00 p.m. - 02:50 p.m.
Brutal Fantasies (2025, Duke UP)
Christine Kim, Author (UBC) & Yvonne Cha, Discussant (UCI, English)
PANEL 5
03:00 p.m. - 03:50 p.m.
Reckoning with the World: South Korean Television and the Latin American Imaginary (2025, Temple UP)
Ben Han, Author (U of Georgia) & Asha Rieussec, Discussant (UCI, EAS)
Reception
3:50 p.m.