---

Call for Papers/Panelists: 33rd Biennial AKSE Conference (Bucharest, June 24–27, 2027)

We are seeking two additional presenters to complete a panel proposal for the 33rd Biennial Association for Korean Studies in Europe (AKSE) Conference, to be held at the University of Bucharest, Romania, from June 24–27, 2027.

Panel Title: Love and Hate: Sports Celebrities, Transnational Fandom, and the Reconfiguration of Korea-Japan Relations

Organizers:

Prof. Hwang, Seongbin (Rikkyo University, Japan)

Prof. Cho, Younghan (Hankuk University of Foreign Studies, South Korea)

Sports have long served as a primary arena for articulating national identity, post-colonial tension, and historical memory between South Korea and Japan. Yet, the migration of athletes and media texts between the two nations has produced a far more nuanced landscape—one defined by a dialectic of "love and hate." This panel critically explores how sports celebrities, transnational fandom, and cross-border media framing reconfigure regional dynamics and national identity from the mid-twentieth century to the contemporary era.

To capture the longevity and transformation of this phenomenon, the panel grounds its analysis in historical perspective. We trace the lineage of athletic identity negotiation back to foundational post-war figures like Rikidozan, Kim Il (Ooki Kintaro), and Antonio Inoki, whose performances in professional wrestling mediated complex post-colonial anxieties, Zainichi identity, and national pride across both borders. We connect these historical roots to contemporary developments across diverse sports. Case studies include the striking cross-border empathy within media framing—such as Japanese media's defense of South Korean football manager Hong Myung-bo following the 2026 World Cup—as well as the trajectory of players like Park Ji-sung who built foundational careers in Japan.

Furthermore, the panel investigates the unprecedented South Korean fandom surrounding Japanese baseball icon Shohei Ohtani, alongside multi-layered figures like Choo Sung-hoon (Yoshihiro Akiyama) and Jong Tae-se, whose movement between combat sports and variety television highlights the shifting politics of identity, hybridity, and commercial stardom.

By employing multidisciplinary approaches from media sociology, sports history, and cultural studies, this panel deconstructs how sports celebrities function as fluid cultural texts. Ultimately, we argue that while sports remain a lightning rod for nationalistic friction, they simultaneously provide an enduring infrastructure for cross-border intimacy, critical hybridity, and mutual cultural recognition.

This panel focuses on the sports culture and media landscape of South Korea, specifically examining how athlete migration, media representation, and cross-border fandom navigate the tension between nationalist friction and cultural affinity in Korea-Japan relations. We welcome paper proposals spanning historical and contemporary perspectives, including:

Historical Genealogies: Analyses of post-war sports figures (e.g., Rikidozan, Kim Il, Antonio Inoki) and their roles in mediating post-colonial memory, Zainichi identity, and early cross-border media consumption.

Transnational Fandom & Affinity: Critical studies of contemporary Japanese sports celebrities who command massive popularity in South Korea (e.g., the Shohei Ohtani phenomenon) and friendship between Korean and Japanese (e.g., Sang-hwa Lee and Nao Kodaira in women’s speed skating), and how this fandom interacts with national sentiment.

Bilateral Media Framing & Migration: How Japanese or South Korean media represent foreign athletic figures, including contemporary cases (e.g., Japanese media discourse surrounding manager Hong Myung-bo) or historical trajectories in football, baseball, and other sports (e.g., Park Ji-sung).

Hybrid Identities & Commercial Stardom: Examinations of boundary-crossing figures (e.g., Choo Sung-hoon/Yoshihiro Akiyama) who operate across sports, reality television, and public culture in both nations.

Per AKSE’s evaluation guidelines, panel proposals that feature institutional, geographical, gender, and career-stage diversity are given preference. We warmly invite submissions from PhD candidates, early-career researchers, and established scholars.

Submission Instructions:

Please send an abstract of up to 300 words, a paper title, 3 keywords, and a brief institutional biography to seongbin@rikkyo.ac.jp & choy@hufs.ac.kr by August 28, 2026. This will give the organizers time to select papers and compile the submission prior to the official AKSE portal deadline on September 15, 2026.