A Graduate Student Perspective: Shae Kim, G3, EALC-Korean Literature, KI Graduate Summer Research Grant, Summer 2026

Shae Kim, G3, EALC-Korean Literature, KI Graduate Summer Research Grant, Summer 2026
“Imagining Locality in a Cosmopolitan Script: Vernacular Language and Literary Sinitic in Late Chosôn”

The generous funding provided by the Korea Institute allowed me to visit archives across Korea and Japan this summer, spending an extended period conducting an in-depth bibliographical research. Items central to my research interest – collections of folk songs from the late Chosŏn period –– are housed across institutions in cities such as Seoul, Tokyo, and Kyoto. Examining these manuscripts in person gave me an opportunity to make significant progress on my research project, which explores translation strategies and literary-linguistic theories in early modern Korea.

Although the growing availability of digital scans has become a great asset to modern scholarship, in-person examination continues to open one’s eyes to a wealth of information that is often inaccessible or simply imperceptible through a screen. Examples include palimpsests and lining papers; one other example is the concealed inner surfaces of leaves used in side-stitched bound books. Because each sheet is folded in half before binding, the reverse side remains hidden unless the volume is physically opened and the folded leaf is examined. Paper was often scarce and expensive during the Chosŏn period. Thus book-makers would reuse available paper, opting to print on the unused side before incorporating it into a new volume. This proved to be the case with Kyobang kayo (敎坊歌謠 교방가요), held at the Korea University Library. The reverse side of its inner cover appeared to be a page from a family genealogy. While such details may appear minute, they can potentially provide evidence for reconstructing a manuscript’s provenance, circulation, production, and preservation. These material features, often elided or unclear in digital reproductions, demonstrate the continued importance of archival research and physical investigation. 

I am deeply grateful to the Korea Institute for making this research possible. The opportunity not only advanced my research but also fundamentally reshaped my understanding of literary research methodology, illuminating the merits of direct, in-person engagement with texts and research materials.