The Medieval and Early Modern Studies Association
of Korea
The Association has its own Web Page at http://memesak.org/
although some major aspects of that site are only available to readers of Korean. This English-language set of pages is intended
to serve as an international information link and bibliography. Click here for the Chaucer Bibliography, here for the indexes and contents of the Association's journal, Medieval and Early Modern English Studies. Click here for a list of other Korean academic associations with medieval interests. Click here for a list of medieval-related books and studies in all disciplines published in Korean in Korea recently.
The Medieval and
Early Modern English Studies Association of Korea
한국 중세르네상스 영문학회
The Association
first began to take shape on April 27, 1991, when a small group of professors
from a number of Korean universities with a shared interest in Medieval English
Studies met and agreed on the need to establish a forum devoted to that topic.
The Association was formally launched a year later, on June 13, 1992, when
Professor Kim Jin-man (Korea University, Hallym University) was elected to be
the first President and the first Committee was formed.
From its inception,
the Association has held regular meetings at which members have read papers,
almost always on topics related to medieval and early modern English
literature. Since 1993 these and other papers have been published in a review :
Medieval English Studies, renamed Medieval
and Early Modern English Studies early in 2003.
The Association's
President serves for a two-year period. After Professor Kim Jin-man, the late
Professor Lee Gun-sop of Ewha Womans University was President 1994-6. Professor
Lee Sung-il of Yonsei University served as the President 1996-8. Brother
Anthony (Korean name: An Sonjae) of Sogang University, Seoul was the 4th
President (1998-2000), Professor Kim Jae-whan (Hallym University, Ch'unch'on)
served as the 5th President. Professor Park Young-Bae (Kookmin University, Seoul) became the 6th President
in June 2002. The 7th
President, elected in June 2004, was Professor
Lee Jongsook of Seoul National University. Kim Jung-ae (Kyunghee
University, Seoul) was elected as
8th President in the summer of 2006. Professor Yoon Min-Woo
(Yonsei University, Seoul) became the 9th President in 2008. Professor
Chung Duk-Ae (Ewha Womans University, Seoul) became the 10th President
in June 2010.
Until 2003, the name of the
Association
was The Medieval English Studies Association of Korea but in view of the need
to widen its membership and area of interest, the name was changed early in
2003 to include the period following the middle ages that in English is now
more often called 'early modern' than renaissance. The Korean form of the Association's name still uses the word 'Renaissance'.
Meetings of the
Association are usually held toward the end of the Spring and Fall Semesters.
The Fall Conference is usually an international one, held in association with
the Medieval Institute of Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo. Relations
with Medieval and Early Modern scholars from Taiwan and Japan have also begun
to develop, with visits in both directions by individual members. In Japan
there is an active association with a number of regional branches: The Japan Society for
Medieval English Studies. A detailed account of the
state of medieval studies in Taiwan has been written by Professor Francis
So of National Sun Yat Sen University, Kaoshiung, Taiwan.
In addition, the
Association is affiliated with the English
Language and Literature Association of Korea and organizes sessions at the
Winter Conference organized each year by ELLAK.
Beginning in 1999,
the Association has organized one or two sessions at the annual International Congress
on Medieval Studies held at the University of Western Michigan (Kalamazoo).
Members have also made presentations at the International Medieval Congress
held each year in Leeds, and may in the future participate in the
bi-annual Congress of the New Chaucer Society.
Some committee members with the present and former presidents, 8 or 10 years ago
(Front row from the left, Professors Lee Sung-Il, Kim Jin-Man, Brother Anthony,
Park Yun-Hee, ( . . . ), Park Young-Bae)
(Back row from the left, Professors Lee In-Song, Kong Song-Uk, Lee Jin-Ah, Lee
Dong-Ch'un, Kim Hyonjin, Choi Yejung)
The 2008-10 Committee (click here for the list in Korean) was composed as follows :
Auditor: Dong-Il Lee (Hangook University of Foreign Studies, Seoul)
Secretary-General: Dong-Choon Lee (Taegu University, Taegu)
Treasurer: Tai-Won Kim (Sogang University, Seoul)
Editor-in-Chief: Ji-Soo Kang (Inha University, Incheon)
Editors: Jin-Ah Lee (Hangook Univeristy of Foreign Studies, Seoul)
Yejung Choi (Hoseo University, Chonan)
Byung-Eun Lee
Miyoung Lee (Paekseok University, Chonan)
Secretaries for Research and Planning:
Yeeyon Im (Yeongnam University, Daejeon)
Gwanghyun Shynne (Seoul National University, Seoul)
Insung Lee (Sungsil University, Seoul)
Hyunjoo Lee (Methodist University, Seoul)
Secretary for Public Relations:
Hyonjin Kim (Seoul National University, Seoul)
Secretary for Information Resources
Young-ah Kim (Hanseong University, Seoul)