Korean Religions Unit

The Korean Religions Unit welcomes proposals for paper sessions, roundtable sessions, and individual papers. Proposals in all areas of Korean Religions will be considered. This year, we especially invite submissions to the subtopics proposed by interested AAR members, as listed below. If you would like to contribute to one of the panel proposals below, please contact the organizer(s) directly, and submit your proposal at least two weeks prior to the AAR submission deadline which will be on  March 6 ,2026 , 5:00 PM Eastern Standard Time.

Korean religions in Korean literature

Organizer: Haewon Yang (email: hwy031@gmail.com)

In recent years, Korean literature has become more prominent than ever in the global society, inviting both popular and academic interest. And yet Korean religions in Korean literature remains an understudied field. Literature as an art that represents human experiences can capture religion in a way that is affective and more alive. I would like to suggest a session that explores this aspect of Korean religions in Korean literature, religion not as something separate or static but as something that is interwoven and lived in people’s day to day lives. Analysis of literary works, studies on theoretical or methodological aspects, discussions on uses of literature for religious studies in the Korean context are all welcome. 

Teaching Korean Buddhism: Challenges, Strategies, and New Directions

Organizer: Sujung Kim (email: sujung.kim@jhu.edu)

In response to growing interest in contemporary K-culture, this roundtable examines how Korean Buddhism can be taught more effectively in classrooms. Despite its historical depth and contemporary relevance, Korean Buddhism remains underrepresented in introductory courses such as Introduction to Religion, Buddhism, and East Asian Studies. Bringing together established and emerging scholars from diverse institutions, the panel offers a snapshot of the state of the field while sharing pedagogical strategies drawn from textual study, visual and material culture, and lived religion. The discussion highlights diverse teaching materials and methods that foster student engagement with Korean religions, as well as East Asian Buddhism.

South Korean Religious Communities and Yoon Suk-yeol: Before, During, and After the 12.3 Martial Law Decree

 Organizer: Timothy S. Lee (email: t.lee@tcu.edu) 

This paper panel addresses the question of how South Korean religious communities interacted with Yoon Suk-yeol before, during, and after the 12.3 martial law decree. From his campaigning days in early 2022, through his tenure as South Korea’s president, to his convulsive but short-lived martial law decree of December 3, 2024, and to the turmoil that ensued, Yoon’s public canvas included an unusually broad and diverse religious footprint for a South Korean president. This panel explores that footprint with respect to the communities that have most often been cited in narratives and discourses about the matter: Protestants, Catholics, Buddhists, and Shamans/New Religionists. Apart from a presider and a respondent, the panel will feature four presenters, each focusing on one of the communities.

Co-sponsored with Religion and AI Unit

Korean Religions in the Age of AI  

Organizer: Jonathan C. Feuer (email: jfeuer@hku.hk)

According to the IMF, South Korea has one of the highest AI adoption rates in the world. About a third of the population uses ChatGPT every month. The newly elected government led by Lee Jae Myung is putting AI at the forefront of its economic policy. In Korea’s highly pluralistic society, religious communities are already experimenting with AI in strikingly diverse ways. This panel invites papers focusing on any topic related to the present and future relationship between Korean religions and AI, including: approaches to the use of AI related to Korean religious values, applications of AI in religious communities or scholarship, and/or ethical and philosophical debates about AI. Why should scholars interested in religion and AI pay attention to Korea? 

Co-sponsored with Religion and Popular Culture Unit

KPop, Demon Hunters, and Beyond: Korean Religion and Popular Culture

Organizer: John Grisafi (email: john.g.grisafi@gmail.com) 

The Korean Religions Unit and the Religion and Popular Culture Unit invite papers for co-sponsored panel on the theme of Korean religion and popular culture. The widely popular 2025 film KPop Demon Hunters has exposed many fans to elements of Korean religion and culture which the film draws upon. This film is just one recent example of how popular culture, from or based on Korea, intersects with Korean religion. In response to this growing phenomenon, we seek papers that explore the Korean religious content and themes of films and dramas and their presentation and popular reception as well as other linkages between religion and popular culture related to Korea, including music. Papers may address narratives of Korean religion within popular culture and their reception, how religious communities engage with and respond to such popular works and trends, papers that examine connections between religion and the Korean Wave (“Hallyu”) as well as K-pop and fandom, and other topics. We welcome submissions that approach the film and topic from various disciplines and perspectives, and which discuss broader considerations of religion and popular culture in connection with Korean content. 

Any other papers that address the relationship between society, culture, and religion as broadly construed can be submitted directly through the AAR portal. Other inquiries can be directed to Sean Kim ckim@ucmo.edu, or Liora Sarfati lsarfati@tauex.tau.ac.il. In submitting proposals, please follow the AAR guidelines carefully.