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  • P-ISSN0023-3900
  • E-ISSN2733-9343
  • A&HCI, SCOPUS, KCI

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Vol.66 No.2

11papers in this issue.

PDF Citaion [On this topic] Beyond Coexistence: Importation, Reinterpretation, and Retransmission in South Korea’s Religious Landscape
Hyojin L. FROMELL pp.1-11 https://doi.org/10.25024/kj.2026.66.2.1
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PDF Citaion Seokjeon in Transition: Continuities, Transformations, and Institutional Influences on the Confucian Memorial Rite in Post-Liberation Korea
Hyojin L. FROMELL pp.12-41 https://doi.org/10.25024/kj.2026.66.2.12
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Abstract

The Seokjeon ceremony (Confucian Memorial Rite), a major Confucian ritual since the Joseon period, has long carried significant symbolic and socio-political weight. Its form changed considerably across Sungkyunkwan and local hyanggyo under modernization, colonial rule, and postwar political change. Under colonial rule, Confucianism was deliberately removed from the category of religion and its functions reduced to that of education, thus turning it into an instrument for promoting imperial ideology. Although Sungkyunkwan regained its formal status after liberation, disputes over officiating the Seokjeon ceremony became a key arena for competing Confucian factions. Even amid this turbulence, Confucian groups actively sought to preserve the ritual’s religious character, most notably through prolonged debates over shifting its date between the lunar and solar calendars—an effort to reaffirm its spiritual legitimacy in the face of Christianity’s growing influence. In recent decades, however, the ceremony has come increasingly to reflect broader East Asian trends that reframe Confucian rituals as cultural rather than religious practices. Achieving heritage designation in 1986, the Seokjeon ceremony today exemplifies the transformation of Confucianism from a lived moral-religious system into cultural tradition and national heritage.

PDF Citaion What Makes Cheontae Cheontae? A New Buddhist Movement and the Reinterpretation of the Cheontae Tradition in Contemporary Korea
Yohong ROH pp.42-65 https://doi.org/10.25024/kj.2026.66.2.42
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Abstract

The Korean Cheontae order presents an apparent tension: though founded as a new Buddhist movement in the post-liberation period, it has successfully established itself as the legitimate heir to the historical Tiantai/Cheontae tradition. This article examines how the order navigated this tension by constructing historical legitimacy through transnational exchange with Chinese and Japanese Tiantai communities, reinterpreting its central practice of Guanyin prayer in light of Tiantai doctrine and practice, and re-transmitting its tradition to China. The Korean Cheontae order is one of the most successful new Buddhist movements to emerge following Korean independence in 1945. This study analyzes how the order appropriated the name “Cheontae” by defining its relationship to that tradition and specifying which elements of Tiantai thought and practice it claims to inherit, even as discrepancies between the order’s official narrative and internal sources complicate that claim. The findings reveal how a postcolonial Korean Buddhist organization has adapted and transformed Chinese Buddhist traditions through importation, reinterpretation, and re-transmission, shedding light on what, according to the order itself, makes this movement meaningfully “Cheontae.”

PDF Citaion Between Hwadu and Mindfulness: Seon Meditation in Korean Templestay Programs for International Audiences
Andrea Maria NENCINI pp.66-100 https://doi.org/10.25024/kj.2026.66.2.66
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Abstract

This study explores how Korean Seon Buddhism has adapted its meditation practices in response to modern influences, particularly through the integration of mindfulness-based approaches within the Templestay program. While rooted in traditional Ganhwa Seon, which emphasizes hwadu contemplation for self-inquiry and master-disciple transmission, contemporary Seon practice has evolved to accommodate a broader audience, including international and secular practitioners. However, the push for greater accessibility in Seon meditation has sparked debates about whether these modern adaptations dilute traditional Seon training or make it more relevant to contemporary practitioners. Focusing on English conducted Templestay programs targeting foreigners, this study aims to analyze how these adaptations shape the experience of Seon meditation and make it accessible to a global audience. Through first-hand experiences at four Korean Buddhist temples offering Templestay programs—Hwagyesa, Golgulsa, Lotus Lantern International Meditation Center, and the International Seon Center—the study examines the distinct meditation approaches used, ranging from hwadu practice to Seonmudo, breath awareness, and mantra meditation. The findings suggest that rather than homogenizing with global mindfulness, Templestay programs constitute sites of pragmatic negotiation, in which the degree of adherence to traditional Ganhwa Seon varies significantly according to the specific institutional history and pedagogical orientation of each temple.

PDF Citaion Individualism and Divination in Korea: From the Jeomchal Ceremony for Nullified Negative Karma to FutureTelling Esoteric Tools
Althea VOLPE pp.101-133 https://doi.org/10.25024/kj.2026.66.2.101
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This article investigates the evolution of divinatory practices in Korea from the premodern era to the contemporary period, focusing on the shift from collective rituals to individualized forms of esoteric practice. Drawing on historical, anthropological, and sociological sources, it examines the Jeomchal ceremony and sojae doryang rituals of the Silla and Goryeo periods, ritual adaptations in the Joseon era, and modern practices with particular focus on Tarot readings. The study employs a theoretical framework integrating esotericism and social theories to analyze how engagement in divinatory rituals reflects broader social and cultural transformations. Findings indicate that, while early divinatory practices were largely collective and aimed at societal or karmic balance, contemporary forms prioritize personal insight, autonomy, and psychological well-being. Despite this individualization, modern practices maintain subtle forms of social connection through shared symbolic frameworks and digital networks. The article argues that the historical tendency of Korean divination illustrates a dynamic interplay between continuity and change, collective and individual orientations, and traditional and globalized practices. This analysis contributes to Korean studies by situating divination within a broader socio-cultural and historical perspective, offering insights into the persistence and adaptation of esoteric practices in the face of modernization and social challenges.

PDF Citaion Reconstructing Health: The WHO/UNKRA Mission and Postwar Medical Development in South Korea
Dongkue LEE pp.134-163 https://doi.org/10.25024/kj.2026.66.2.134
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This article examines the 1952 WHO/UNKRA health planning mission in South Korea within the broader framework of United Nations-led reconstruction after the Korean War. Three medical professionals—George MacDonald, William P. Forrest, and Walter G. Wickremesinghe—surveyed national health and medical conditions. They delivered a comprehensive report, suggesting state-driven development to rehabilitate Korea’s medical system. The report detailed important challenges and offered potential solutions encompassing all aspects of rehabilitation in the health and medical system, which were closely tied to the developmental project of Western intervention in newly independent countries after World War II. This article argues the WHO/UNKRA mission was an exercise in making society legible to the state, that is, rendering it measurable and manageable as a precondition for intervention. Situating the mission and its proposals within postwar development strategies, this article shows that meaningful state involvement required first creating standardized, visible units of administration and knowledge. These included building a medical administrative apparatus, training scientific and technical personnel, and establishing mechanisms for monitoring and managing the broader population.

PDF Citaion Power Ownership Matters, Not Political Orientation: Sources and Responsibility Attributions of Fake News in Media Articles around Two Presidential Elections in Korea
Gunho LEE ; Jihee YOON pp.164-196 https://doi.org/10.25024/kj.2026.66.2.164
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This study examines the political status and identities of sources and responsibility attributions of fake news in media articles covering the two recent Korean presidential elections, which saw the election of candidates of different political orientations. Results of quantitative content analysis for 746 stories from four nationwide news outlets showed that power ownership (ruling vs. opposing), rather than political orientation (conservative vs. progressive), better explained the variations in source appearance. In general, regardless of ideological orientation, sources associated with ruling parties blamed fake news more than those from opposing parties. The presidents and nominatives from the ruling party, as well as electives from opposing parties, were major sources blaming fake news. Experts, media, and the private sector were occasionally found to be sources blaming fake news from neutral zones. In terms of responsibility attribution for fake news, while unidentified targets blamed for fake news outnumbered any other identified objects, the president, nominatives, and electives were more frequently blamed when sources were from opposing parties. Theoretical and practical applications of the study results are then discussed to better understand the nature of fake news.

PDF Citaion Translation and Recognition of Han Kang in China
Yaoyu HU ; Hui XIONG pp.197-237 https://doi.org/10.25024/kj.2026.66.2.197
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This study investigates the translation and recognition of Han Kang’s literary works in the Chinese context. It traces the chronological development of Chinese translations of her writings since 2007. Combining close textual reading, media analysis, and reader-based data mining, the research further explores how Han Kang’s image as a “feminist writer” has been constructed, reinforced, and contested across literary, academic, and popular discourses in China. While gender-based interpretations dominate, this study argues that this framing risks oversimplifying the philosophical and ethical complexity of Han Kang’s work, particularly her engagement with themes such as trauma, historical violence, and the human condition. Through an in-depth analysis of her later novels, especially We Do Not Part, this study reveals the multidimensionality of Han Kang’s literary vision, showing how her use of bodily imagery, natural symbols, and doubled narrative voices bridges personal memory and collective trauma. Finally, the study reflects on the mechanisms of global literary dissemination, drawing attention to the central role of translation institutions, translator agency, and reception dynamics in shaping crosscultural literary recognition.

PDF Citaion [Review Essay] The Korean War’s Three Afterlives: Hypothetical Post-Liberation History, Korean Cold War Refugees, and an Excavation of Hidden Voices in Korean-American Literature
Kyu-hyun JO pp.238-253 https://doi.org/10.25024/kj.2026.66.2.238
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PDF Citaion [Book Reivew] “Life is but a Weaving”: Writing as a Quest for the Gold Thread
Keum-youn HAN pp.254-260 https://doi.org/10.25024/kj.2026.66.2.254
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PDF Citaion [Book Review] Mapping the Epistemic Landscape of Late Joseon
Min Jung YOU pp.261-269 https://doi.org/10.25024/kj.2026.66.2.261
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