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The Institute of Chinese and Overseas Chinese Culture at the Academy of Chinese Studies, Incheon National University (Director: Jang Jeong-A), held the 2025 joint academic conference on July 11 at the university’s Songdo Campus, co-hosted with the Manchuria Research Society (President: Kim Ji-Hwan). Under the theme “Manchuria in Multilayered Time and Space: Intersections of Locality and Globalism,” the conference focused on exploring Manchuria as a historical and political space as well as a cultural symbol, highlighting its complexity and variability.

Part I: “Variations in Manchurian Policy and Legal Systems” featured Professor Ahn Jong-Cheol (Ca’ Foscari University of Venice), who analyzed U.S. policy toward Manchuria after World War II, focusing on General Wedemeyer’s proposals. Professor Park Deok-Bong (Korea University) presented a comparative study of institutional connections between Manchurian and Korean civil law, and Professor Song In-Joo (Sogang University) examined the governance strategies of Manchukuo through its border control and minority policies along the Heilongjiang River.

Part II: “Manchurian Literacy and Human Networks in Literature” included Professor Kim Hye-Joo (Ewha Womans University), who analyzed representations of China’s northeast region in the TV drama The Long Season; Professor Park Gye-Hwa (Incheon National University), who investigated ethnic imagery in literature through Manchu cultural elements in Dream of the Red Chamber; and Professor Lee Jeong-Hee (Incheon National University), who explored changes in the ethnic Chinese community in North Korea under Kim Jong-un’s rule.

This academic conference meaningfully extended interdisciplinary discourse in Manchurian studies by examining the spatial, temporal, and narrative layers surrounding Manchuria. It drew attention for presenting rare topics in Korea and for the active participation of emerging scholars, leading to lively discussion.

The Institute of Chinese and Overseas Chinese Culture at Incheon National University leads China-related research as part of Korea’s largest Humanities Korea Plus (HK+) project, while the Manchuria Research Society is the country’s most authoritative academic organization on Manchurian studies. With disciplines including law, literature, political science, and history joining forces to examine a region deeply tied to Korean history, this joint conference is expected to greatly contribute to the advancement of related academic fields through the scholarly synergy between the two institutions.