2025 Annual Academic Conference Held
Exploring the Current Status and Future Directions of Regional Studies in Gyeongbuk and Gumi from a Humanities and Social Sciences Perspective
The Seonju Humanities and Social Sciences Research Institute at Kumoh National Institute of Technology (Director: Song Ji-hye) held the 2025 Annual Academic Conference on December 5 at the university's International Education Center.
Under the theme "Gyeongbuk, Asking the Humanities and Social Sciences: New Perspectives on the Times and Life," the conference was organized by the Seonju Humanities and Social Sciences Research Institute at Kumoh National Institute of Technology, with the Division of Liberal Arts and the Graduate School of Education as co-organizers. The event was supported by the National University Promotion Project Group, the Industry-Academia Cooperation Group, and the Basic Science Research Institute.
Opening Remarks at the 2025 Annual Academic Conference by Ji-Hye Song, Director of the Seonju Humanities and Social Sciences Research Institute at Kumoh National Institute of Technology / Photo by Lee Whan Kim
The academic conference consisted of a special lecture in the morning, followed by three presentation and discussion sessions in the afternoon.
The special lecture was delivered by Choi Byung-deok, Director of the 2.28 Democratic Movement Memorial Foundation Research Institute and President of the Korean Political Science Association, on the topic "Suggestions for the Operation of University Humanities and Social Sciences Research Institutes and the Discovery of Academic Journals."
In the afternoon, presentations and designated discussions were held on topics related to the region and literature, as well as the region and history. These included: "Travel Records of Joseon Scholars to Mount Geumo" (Professor Kim Seok-bae, Kumoh National Institute of Technology); "A Study on the Formation Process of Children's Literature in Northern Gyeongbuk: Focusing on Yeongju and Sangju" (Professor Kim Jong-heon, Daegu National University of Education); "Rediscovering the Independence Movement in Gumi in the 1930s" (Professor Kim Il-su, Keimyung University); and "Industry and Population in Gumi City, 1970-2023: Migration of Female Workers and Changes in Urban Space" (Professor Chun Yong-gil, Kyungpook National University).
The final session concluded with a comprehensive roundtable discussion involving all participants, under the theme "The Current Status and Development Strategies of Regional Studies in Gyeongbuk and Gumi."
Song Ji-hye, Director of the Seonju Humanities and Social Sciences Research Institute at Kumoh National Institute of Technology, stated, "We organized this academic conference to broaden the horizons of regional studies by exploring key topics that constitute the culture and life of Gumi and Gyeongbuk from multiple perspectives. Moving forward, we will continue to accumulate achievements in Gyeongbuk studies and share them with the local community through diverse research perspectives on the region's cultural resources and ways of life."
Meanwhile, this academic conference holds particular significance as it marks the first conference since the Seonju Culture Research Institute, established in 1993, changed its name to the Seonju Humanities and Social Sciences Research Institute at Kumoh National Institute of Technology in November of this year and expanded the scope of its conference theme to the humanities and social sciences, signaling the beginning of a new chapter.
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