창작과 비평

The Quarterly Changbi 211, Spring 2026

In this issue’s special feature, we present three essays that conclude the series “Searching for K Discourse,” which has been running since the Spring 2024 issue. Lee Nam Ju, Baek Min Jung, and Park Yeo Sun each examine K discourse’s contemporary and universal relevance in the fields of politics, philosophy, and culture.
Lee Nam Ju traces the force of min (the people) that has materialized and advanced democracy from the Donghak Peasant Revolution through the democratization movements and up to the Candlelight Revolution. He offers a close analysis of how Korea’s democratization process has accumulated a dynamic practice that goes beyond Western models of representative and liberal democracy. Noting the fundamental relationship between political change in Korea and the division system, he emphasizes that the advancement of K democracy must proceed hand in hand with overcoming that system.
Baek Min Jung examines the meaning of the Confucian theory of the Middle Way and its limitations within Confucian society, then considers how the Middle Way was reconstructed in Donghak. She further reminds us that, since the 20th century, middle way thinking must not be understood as mechanical balance, such as moderation or neutrality, but instead must be accompanied by a transformative consciousness aimed at resolving the pressing problems of one’s historical moment.
Park Yeo Sun analyzes the success of globally recognized K content such as K Pop Demon Hunters and Maybe Happy Ending, uncovering the creative possibilities and latent potential of K culture. She highlights that K culture, which speaks of social transformation and human liberation while singing of solidarity toward that end, offers precisely the message most needed in today’s world.