Report

Yonsei University Institute of Korean Studies (IKS Director Professor Hyun Joo Kim) hosted editors of the International Journal of Asian Studies (IJAS) for a workshop on 9th May 2025, creating an extended exchange between editors, scholars and graduate students.

After an introduction by organiser and Deputy Director of the Yonsei Institute of Korean Studies Professor Wonhee Cho, the workshop began with a keynote lecture by Professor Helen J.S. Lee entitled “Seoul ŭi changa: Kungmin Kayo (国民歌謡), Affect, and History”. Addressing the practicalities and challenges of publishing, IJAS Executive Editor Professor Sebastian Veg provided an expanded discussion of the editorial processes at IJAS.

In the afternoon, 7 junior scholars and graduate students affiliated with Yonsei University presented their research, covering a wide range of topics and methods in Asian Studies.

Each paper prompted lively discussion among junior and senior researchers, creating a constructive environment to consider new approaches and connections to the broader field of Asian Studies, and to consider the path toward publication in new light. There was also rich discussion about the changing landscape of academia and the pressure for students to publish in English. All these discussions, and others, continued into the evening over dinner.

IJAS plans to continue organising outreach and collaborative on-site workshops.