Korean Studies in the AI Era: Rereading History, Society, and Literature Through Data

The Academy of Korean Studies Publishes Volume 29, Issue 1 of 'The Review of Korean Studies'
Highlighting Digital Methodologies from Joseon Bureaucratic Careers to Virtual K-pop Idols

The Academy of Korean Studies announced on July 7, 2026, that it has published the June 2026 issue of the English academic journal The Review of Korean Studies, featuring Korean studies research results utilizing new research methods such as data analysis, artificial intelligence (AI), and digital restoration.

The Academy of Korean Studies announced on the 7th that it has published the June 2026 issue of the English academic journal 'The Review of Korean Studies,' which contains research achievements in Korean studies using new research methods such as data analysis, artificial intelligence (AI), and digital restoration. The Academy of Korean Studies

This issue is themed "Digital Humanities and Social Sciences in Korean Studies: Applications and Prospects." It sheds light on how digital technology is transforming the questions and interpretive methods in Korean studies, using various cases in fields such as history, society, culture, and literature.

The special feature section contains a total of six papers. These include a large-scale analysis of the lives and careers of Joseon Dynasty yangban officials; a paper tracking the changes in human rights discourse in Korean society from 1990 to 2010; and a study analyzing the process by which the concept of "civilization" expanded, based on the vocabulary used in academic and organizational magazines published in the early modern period.

The issue also includes a study that digitally reconstructed land registers and land tax data from the Joseon Dynasty, analyzing the characteristics of land administration and tax operations at the time. Additionally, it features a paper exploring how AI can analyze and generate the emotions and expressions of modern Korean poetry using sentiment data, and another examining how digital technology is changing the relationship between fan culture and the idol industry, using virtual K-pop idols as a case study.

The Academy of Korean Studies explained that this special issue is significant not just for its use of digital technology, but because it newly analyzes the connections between data and the changes in social and cultural phenomena that were difficult to capture using conventional research methods.

The Review of Korean Studies is an English-language academic journal in the field of Korean studies, first launched in 1998. It is indexed in the Korean Citation Index (KCI), Web of Science ESCI, MLA International Bibliography, and Scopus. Since 2023, it has been published as an open-access journal, and from 2025, it shifted to an online-only publication system.

A representative from the Academy of Korean Studies stated, "Digital technology has become an essential research foundation that not only increases the efficiency of Korean studies research but also enables new research questions and interpretations. We will continue to incorporate diverse research methodologies and actively pursue academic achievements that will lead the field of Korean studies worldwide."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.