Academy of Korean Studies releases English journal on Joseon Confucianism

The latest issue of the English journal "The Review of Korean Studies," published by the Academy of Korea Studies, explores Confucianism in 19th century Joseon and the belief system's response to the challenges it faced at the time.

Presenting three analyses by specialists in Joseon-period Confucianism -- Prof. Baek Min-jung of the Catholic University of Korea, Prof. Kim Seon-hee of Ewha Womans University and Prof. Lee Haeng-hoon of Hallym University -- the journal explores how the late-Joseon-era intellectual community responded to the arrival of Western knowledge and scientific technology.

The latest issue of the journal delves into the clash between the East and the West with Baek’s article on “The Understanding of and Response to Western Learning by Confucian Scholars of the Yeongnam Region in the 19th Century: Emperor Above, Master of Heaven, and Worshiping Rites for the Spirit.”

Kim of Ewha Womans University offers a glimpse into Choe Han-gi, a Joseon scholar, who was receptive to Western knowledge and its concept of religion.

“Historical Semantics of Confucianism during the Transitional Period of Modern Korea,” an article written by Lee of Hallym University, examines the changes that Korean Confucianism underwent in the emergence of the Western-oriented world system.

"The Review of Korean Studies," which was launched in 1998, seeks to introduce academic achievements in the areas of traditional and pre-modern Korean studies both inside and outside of Korea.

In addition to the articles on Confucianism in the 19th century, the journal presents four individual research articles and four essays under the title “Korean Collections in the US Museums of Art.”

Visit the website at www.aks.ac.kr/rks for free access to articles featured in the June edition of "The Review of Korean Studies."