Cheon Jeong-hwan

Cheon Jeong-hwan is a Full-time Professor in the Department of Korean Language and Literature at Sungkyunkwan University, affiliated with the College of Liberal Arts. His research focuses on the History of modern Korean literature and the History of modern culture, with a particular emphasis on cultural politics, labor narratives, and publishing history. He holds leadership roles such as Head of the Global Culture Contents Joint Major and Director of the BK21 Korean Language and Literature Education Research Group. His academic career includes editorial board memberships in journals like Historical Criticism and Cultural Science, as well as roles in professional societies like the Ban-Gyo Language and Literature Society. Cheon has contributed over 30 academic articles since 2006, exploring topics ranging from labor literature to post-military dictatorship cultural transformations. His work integrates historical analysis with contemporary social issues, reflecting a commitment to interdisciplinary cultural studies.

Education: Ph.D. in Korean Literature from Seoul National University.

Research Interests: Cheon’s scholarship examines how cultural production intersects with political and social change, particularly in modern Korea. Recent work analyzes the cultural dynamics of the ‘extreme right,’ the role of bookstores in democratization, and labor narratives in literature. His studies frequently bridge historical texts with contemporary movements, such as the 2016 Candlelight Protests and their cultural implications.

Key Themes in Publications: Recurring themes include cultural memory, class stratification, and the evolution of Korean publishing. For instance, his 2022 article on Jongro bookstores explores how reading culture reflects political shifts, while his 2020 analysis of labor novels traces the representation of worker subjectivity over decades.

Awards and Grants: While no specific awards are listed, his involvement in major research initiatives like the BK21 Program underscores his contributions to institutional academic innovation.

Labs/Teams: Active in collaborative projects through his editorial roles and society leadership, though no dedicated research lab is explicitly mentioned.