On February 3, 2025, the Research Training Group GRK 2833 “East Asian Futures” received two visitors from its partner institution Sungkyunkwan University (SKKU) in Seoul, South Korea. Under the title “Sungkyunkwan University meets East Asian Futures”, an exchange workshop was conducted with members of the Research Training Group and the Faculty of East Asian Studies, Ruhr University Bochum at the Bochum campus to mark the occasion.

Doctoral student Yeon-Jin CHOI and master student Do Rhee BAK from Sungkyunkwan University were greeted by Prof. Dr. Marion EGGERT, Chair of Korean Studies at the Faculty of East Asian Studies, Ruhr University Bochum, and Prof. Dr. Christine MOLL-MURATA, Chair of Chinese History at the same faculty and Speaker of the Research Training Group, before the participants briefly introduced their research.

Yeon-Jin CHOI (SKKU) gave a presentation on “Streaming Media and the Logistics of the Korean Wave”, discussing the implications of the success of Korean media overseas and monopolies in the Korean streaming industry. Her presentation was followed by Do Rhee BAK (SKKU) introducing “A Preliminary Phonological Study on Korean Grammar Textbooks Written by German Missionaries in the Early 20th Century”, comparing phonetic transcriptions in three different textbooks with regard to possible insights into sound changes.

Follwing a short break, EAF doctoral students Eetu LAUSTELA and Youlim KIM (EAF), who both are conducting fieldwork in East Asia at the moment and connected to the meeting online, gave overviews of their respective research topics “North Korean Depictions of the Future in Text Publications of the Kim Jong-un Era” and “Transformation and Construction of Social Discourse on Unmarried Mothers in South Korea”. Afterwards, guest doctoral researcher Shaun YAJIMA (University of Tokyo / TU Bergakademie Freiberg) introduced his research topic titled “The Coal Syndicate and the Politics of Publicity in Germany, 1890–1914”.

Presentations then followed by the current EAF Qualifying Fellows Andrea KOSCHAN (“Obstacles and Challenges of People with Disabilities in Education and Politics in South Korea”), Denise MUẞMANN (“Linguistic Stereotypes in the Japanese Language”), Aniela TYBORSKI (“Sustainability in China”) and Liliia PEICHEVA (“Taking Sides or Staying Neutral: Making Sense of China’s Neutrality in International Conflicts”) as well as by former EAF Qualifying Fellow and staff at the Chair of Chinese History at RUB, Lea WALLRAFF (“History as a Resource for the Future: Agricultural Reforms and Reception of Antiquities in Late Imperial and Early Republican China”).

Finally, EAF postdoctoral researcher Dr. Aya HINO and affiliated doctoral researcher Dr. Martin GEHLMANN introduced their current research projects: “An Imagined Future, Disappearing Futures: ‘Nihon-gaku’ and Colonial, Internal, and Imperial Differences within the Japanese Nation-Empire” and “A Confucian Future for the Country East of the Sea”, respectively. All presentations were followed by avid discussions among participants and other guests attending the workshop.

The event was concluded by a joint lunch and a visit to the University’s Chinese Garden and the Library of the Faculty of East Asian Studies. The Research Training Group expresses its appreciation for the visit and looks forward to future cooperation with Sungkyunkwan University.