Youngju Ryu

Youngju Ryu is Professor of Korean Literature in the Department of Asian Languages and Cultures at the University of Michigan. Her academic work bridges literary criticism, cultural history, and media studies with a focus on modern Korea.

Her research centers on politics and aesthetics of protest, cultures of authoritarianism, and mediatized publics in modern Korean history. Key investigations include anti-authoritarian resistance during Park Chung Hee's regime, the gendering of Korea's Vietnam War experience, moral dramas in inter-Korean reconciliation narratives, and contemporary media's role in democratization movements.

Her publications reveal strong thematic continuity in examining Korea's developmental state through literary and cultural lenses, with recent work expanding into podcast-era political discourse. Major awards include the Association for Asian Studies James Palais Book Prize for her 2016 monograph.

• Best Books of 2016 by Foreign Affairs
• 2018 Association for Asian Studies James Palais Book Prize

Ryu actively mentors graduate students in Asian literature while co-editing the Perspectives on Contemporary Korea book series. Her current book project reexamines South Korea's democratization movement through media history, including podcast formats.