Korean Studies Commons^™

Citrus Farming, Tourism, And Globalization: Jeju Island’S Transformation Under South Korea’S State-Led Development, Caitlin Hong

Student Work

The Williams Prize in East Asian Studies is awarded to Caitlin Hong for her outstanding senior thesis, “Citrus, Capital, and Control: Jeju Island’s Transformation under State-Led Development.”

Hong’s work exemplifies intellectual ambition, methodological rigor, and original insight. Through an interdisciplinary blend of historical analysis and ethnographic fieldwork, she offers the first comprehensive English-language account of Jeju Island’s citrus farming industry, tracing its development from the postwar period to the present day.

Demonstrating extraordinary initiative, Hong designed and executed an independent research trip to Jeju Island, conducting interviews with citrus farmers, laborers, and experts, while also consulting numerous primary sources in …

Breaking News And Broken Hopes: Inter-Korean Engagement And The Emotional Consequences Of Media Framing, Sophia Lizanne Trombley

Honors Theses

This thesis analyzes two periods of pro-North Korean engagement regimes in South Korea during the presidencies of Kim Dae-jung (1998-2003), Roh Moo-hyun (2003-2008), and Moon Jae-in (2017-2023). Through analysis of the three aforementioned presidents’ initiatives for engagement with the North, categorization of news headlines from two major South Korean sources, and public opinion polls, I argue that especially high and low emotional reactions among the South Korean public during these periods were exacerbated by news media’s overly dramatized portrayal of inter-Korean interactions, both big and small. This has led to desensitization and emotional exhaustion among the South Korean public, causing …

Fan Art, Jacob Lay

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis examines the work of artists like Vincent van Gogh, Donald Baechelor, and Cezanne in their relationship to my work and contemporary painting. Drawing from personal letters, interviews, and essays on these artists, the paper places painting and drawing from the thesis exhibition in a history as well as relates them to current pop culture relics. The paper also includes a process-based analyses of how each painting is made and with what materials.

Pottery As A Socio-Economic Marker In Prehistoric Burials Along The Southern Coast Of South Korea, P. Codi Shoemaker

Theses

This thesis investigates the role of pottery as a socio-economic marker in prehistoric burials along the southern coast of South Korea, with a focus on the Late Jeulmun to Early/Mid-Mumun Pottery Periods. Through an interdisciplinary analysis of burial sites at Janghang (Gadeok-do), Sangchonri, and Yulha-ri, the study examines how ceramic design, placement, and associated grave goods reflect evolving social structures within early Korean communities. While pottery has long been examined through functional and chronological lenses, this research considers its symbolic and cultural value in funerary contexts. Findings suggest that pottery served not only utilitarian or ritual purposes, but increasingly signaled …

Impacts On College-Aged Asian American Mental Health, Zahra Soherwardy

Senior Theses

This study explores the relationship between different forms of racial harassment and mental health issues in Asian American college students. Asian American mental health is a growing concern in the field of public health. Asian Americans have the lowest treatment rates and some of the highest stigma levels of any demographic. They are also impacted by the model minority myth and discrimination, further alienating them from getting help. The topics of subtle racism, blatant racism, and current racial discrimination were compared to depressive symptoms, anxiety, self-esteem, and four domains of aggression using survey data. Subtle racism was found to be …

Making Waves: Comfort Women Justice Movements Across Generations, Julia A. Jacobellis

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Between 1932 and 1945 an estimated 200,000 women across the globe were coerced into becoming comfort women for the Japanese military. As comfort women they were forced to prostitute themselves to soldiers, and endured physical, psychological and emotional torture. While comfort stations were liberated in 1945 with the end of World War II, the Japanese government has yet to formally apologize for their treatment of comfort women, and has failed to meet the demands of survivors and their families who seek reconciliation and justice. The global leaders of these movements for reconciliation are institutions and organizations in South Korea, China, …

Representasi Alienasi Coda Pada Tokoh Bori Dalam Film Korea Bori, Dea Monica Ulandari, Amelia Burhan, Ph.D

Multikultura

CODA or Children of Deaf Adults are the descendants of deaf parents who have the ability to hear and speak. They also have their own emotional stress because they have to adapt to two worlds, the hearing and deaf worlds. This leads to feelings of alienation which are also reinforced by external and internal factors. This research aims to find out how influential the feeling of alienation is on Bori's identity as a CODA in the Korean movie Bori. The character Bori is a CODA and the only person with hearing ability in her deaf family. The method used …

Rubie K. Lee Photograph Albums, Zach S. Henderson Library Special Collections

Finding Aids

This collection consists of three photograph albums documenting Rubie K. Lee's work with the Methodist Church’s Women's Missionary Council (WMC) in Korea from the 1920s through the early 1930s. The photographs depict Korea under Japanese rule, showcasing its people and landscapes. Albums also contains photographs of the Ogeechee River flood of 1929, as well as an extensive collection of color postcards from Lee’s travels to Korea, Japan and China.

Fermented Resistance: The Role Of Kimchi In Preserving Korean Identity Through Colonialism And Modernization, Francis M. Ferreira

CMC Senior Theses

This thesis began with a simple observation during my year abroad in Seoul: kimchi was everywhere. It appeared at every table, in every household, and soon, in every question I had about Korean identity. What started as a personal curiosity evolved into a deep historical inquiry into how this single dish — made of fermented cabbage, radish, and spices — came to represent the soul of a nation. This thesis traces kimchi’s journey from a humble survival food in agrarian Korea to a symbol of resistance during Japanese colonization, a tool for reclaiming identity after liberation, and ultimately, a globally …

Glossed Over, Rebecca Oh

Theses and Dissertations

Glossed Over is a collection of interdisciplinary artworks exploring my Korean-American diasporic identity and how gender, queerness, religion, neurodivergence, and internet culture intersect within that experience. Through a blend of painting, woodworking, and sculpture, this installation carries the various elements of undefinable 한 (pronounced: han), a concept I attempt to define and contextualize in the Introduction and throughout this thesis. Each artwork operates through coded language, metaphor, and partial disclosure, offering space for the othered to find recognition through subtle cues and signifiers. Through Glossed Over and this thesis, I scratch the surface of my journey in reconciling generational trauma …

Motivations And Experiences Of Thai Fans In Attending K-Pop Hybrid Concerts, Phavaran Wonglek

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

The rise of hybrid concerts, combining live performances with online streaming, has transformed how global K-pop fans engage with performances. While offering flexibility and broad accessibility, this format raises concerns about replicating the emotional and social richness of offline events. This study investigates the motivations, experiences, satisfaction, and future intentions of Thai fans attending K-pop hybrid concerts via live streaming. It adopts the Uses and Gratifications Theory (UGT) and Expectation Confirmation Theory (ECT) as its framework. Data were collected from 401 respondents using a questionnaire and analyzed through descriptive statistics. Findings show that emotional motivations were the main drivers, with …

Challenges Of Korean Novel Translation : The Case Study Of Love In The Big City, Ana Catarina Lopes

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

This study investigates the challenges of translating Korean literary fiction for international audiences, with a focus on Park Sang Young’s Love in the Big City and Anton Hur’s English translation of the novel. While K-pop and K-dramas have become global cultural phenomena, Korean novels have not achieved the same level of recognition, often due to the complexities of cultural translation. This research examines how translation choices shape the way English readers experience Korean fiction, focusing on how culture, society, and emotion are mediated across languages. It also compares this with the accessibility of screen adaptations, understood here as the relative …

Social Integration In International Marriages Between Russian Women And Korean Men In Urban South Korea, Evgeniia Shakirova

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

This thesis explores the everyday social integration experiences of Russian women married to Korean men and living in urban South Korea. Drawing on the theoretical frameworks of Everyday Multiculturalism and Multicultural Space Making, the study investigates how cultural differences are negotiated in daily life through practices such as language use, food preparation, parenting, household routines and everyday social interactions. Using a qualitative research design, a number of in-depth interviews and supplementary observations were conducted with interlocutors residing in Seoul, Suwon, and Incheon. Thematic analysis revealed how these women actively shape their domestic, neighbourhood and digital environments to maintain cultural continuity …

Comparative Study Of Chinese And Korean Webcomic Industries From The Perspective Of Platformization And Copyright Governance : Lessons From The Success Of Korean Webtoons, Jiayi Wang

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

Research Objectives: This study aims to comparatively analyze the divergent development paths of the Chinese and Korean webtoon industries, focusing on the synergistic mechanisms of platformization and copyright governance. It seeks to diagnose the root causes of China's "localization failure" and propose a viable ecosystem reconstruction pathway. Methodology: Employing a qualitative comparative case study approach, this research examines primary platforms (Naver, Kakao, Kuaikan, Tencent) through the lens of an integrated theoretical framework combining platformization, media political economy, and copyright governance. Data is triangulated from industry reports, financial disclosures, and academic literature. Findings: The research finds that Korea's success is built …

An Analysis Of The Impact Of The Korean Dramas On Image Building And The Promotion Of Thai Tourism : A Case Study Of King The Land, Episode 10, Sopittha Sintutepparat

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

This research aims to study and analyze the impact of the Korean drama King the Land on Thailand’s national image and tourism in various dimensions. The researcher collected data from two main sources: primary data and secondary data. The primary data were obtained through in-depth interviews with five individuals directly involved in the filming of Episode 10 of King the Land in Thailand, including one government representative, two members of the Thai production team, and two local business owners at the filming locations. The secondary data consisted of the content analysis of the drama, academic articles, research papers, relevant policies, …

The Transculturation Of K-Pop Fans’ Practices : A Case Study Of “Call Me By Fire Vietnamese Version”, Thi Thuy Ngoc Nguyen

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

This research examines the transculturation of Vietnamese K-pop fans’ practices through the case study of Call Me By Fire Vietnamese Version, analyzing how these practices shape domestic fandom and contribute to Vietnam’s entertainment industry. Using a mixed-methods approach (an online survey, twelve in-depth interviews, and digital ethnography), the research applies Transculturation Theory (Ortiz, 1940) and Participatory Culture (Jenkins, 1992, 2006; Jenkins et al., 2016) to conceptualize the show as a contact zone where global fan cultures intersect with local norms. Findings show that while K-pop fan practices serve as a central influence, they are reconfigured through three phases. In deculturation, …

Comparison Of Vat Exemptions In Korea And Thailand, Youngun Lim

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

The Value Added Tax (VAT) is a relatively recent innovation compared to traditional taxes such as income and property taxes. Nevertheless, it has been rapidly adopted across jurisdictions worldwide due to its efficiency and revenue-generating capacity. As a general consumption tax, VAT is levied on most goods and services. However, exemptions are commonly granted in many jurisdictions for reasons of social equity, economic policy, or administrative simplicity. This study conducts a comprehensive comparative analysis of VAT exemption regimes in two major Asian economies—South Korea and Thailand—both of which have established mature VAT systems. The research focuses on examining each country’s …

Consumptive Femininity: (De)Constructions Of Gender And Colonization In Korean Diaspora Literature, Jack Kelly

Honors Program Theses

This paper explores how two authors with Korean heritage use similar metaphors to write about the same historical traumas. I engage close readings of two novels—Min Jin Lee’s Pachinko and Yu Miri’s The End of August—to interrogate how each author uses images of food/food preparation as well as images of sexual encounters to draw links between exploited bodies and exploited land. Ultimately, I find that the differences in these two authors’ approaches reflect their distance from modern centers of empire. This reminds us of the importance of having a diverse literary and historical canon that centers on authors who have …

Has K-Pop Lost Its Koreaness?, Madison J. Gusler

Capstones

Since the 2010s, the global expansion of K-pop has been undeniable, with music from Korean idol groups resonating with fans around the world. We’ve seen the industry adapt to cater to this global audience, placing emphasis on non-verbal aspects of performance such as choreography and set design, and integrating more English lyrics in their songs. K-pop has always had multinational, multicultural influences in its production, yet the music has remained distinctly Korean. But as the industry expands into new markets, faces new challenges, and adapts to convey greater global appeal, the public must contend with the idea of a K-pop …

Analysis Of The K-Pop Song "Attention" By Newjeans, David W. Maturo, Grace Sun

SPARK Symposium Presentations

In my Theory IV class, I was given the opportunity to explore music beyond the topics and units within the syllabus. Out of genuine curiosity, I chose to dive into one of my favorite songs: “Attention” by NewJeans. While K-pop has long been an innovative force in music, the fourth generation has taken the genre to new heights by pushing boundaries and exploring fresh, unexpected directions, further reshaping what is considered "K-pop." Many artists, like Parannoul with their exploration of indie and alt-rock, aespa and LE SSERAFIM with their cyberpunk aesthetics and industrial pop/EDM sounds, and other rising acts, are …