The Organizing Committee of ICLA 2010 Seoul Conference invites all individuals or groups interested in the field of Korean Studies to submit the abstracts of any topics related to the following special forum sessions. The submission deadline for Special Forum is October 31, 2009.

In the current literary criticism, nationality and ethnicity are losing their status as effective critical platforms. The strict boundaries concerning the identity of Korean literature are getting blurred, and such factors as the same language, race and nationality do not clarify what constitutes Korean literature, either. In this context we raise the issue of the 'Korean-ness' of Korean literature while examining the critical points of diaspora, language, and canon. It will open up possibilities for creating new discourses on Korean literature.

The modernity issue is crucial for illuminating both uniqueness and universality of Korean literature in relation to world literatures. In this respect, we discuss the issues ranging from the birth of modern Korean literature to the nature and manifestations of the colonial modernity in Korean literature and to the debates over modernity and post-modernity.

Translation and reception of literary works involve a process of acculturation in which literary meanings, values and assumptions are exchanged and adjusted. While discussing the critical issues concerning the reception of Korean literature in translation to world readers, we re-evaluate the economy of individuality and universality in the business of translation and the context of the global literary market.

We examine both the history of Hangeul and its potentiality as an effective global communicative medium in the information age. In addition, we investigate the dialogical interaction between Korean and world cultures, reviewing the current state of 'Hallyu' in such areas as food, fashion, music, film, and TV dramas. Thereby, the possibilities of a new mode of Hallyu will be explored, in which Korean classical literature and cultural traditions can be effectively appreciated among global citizens.