Otherness through time in Korea : case study of Zainichi Korean returnees

Visočnik Gerželj, Nataša (author)

This study examines the evolution of the concept of the “Other” in Korean society and its reshaping of the experiences of Zainichi Korean returnees from Japan. The study aims to trace the historical and cultural construction of otherness, analyse how temporal frameworks mediate identity negotiations and ground these dynamics in a case study of Seoul in 2019. Drawing on literature analysis, policy review, and ethnographic data from interviews and participant observation, the research reveals that returnees navigate hybrid identities within intersecting temporal grammars – ritual, linear, networked, and existential. These frameworks influence institutional perceptions and self-fashioning, producing moments of dialogue and tension between tradition and modernity. The findings show that Korean society’s encounter with global interconnectedness fosters both the convergence and divergence of temporalities, reframing the “Other” as a dynamic relationship rather than a fixed category. This highlights how identities can change over time and how societal acceptance can evolve across generations.

• Language: English
• Keywords: otherness in Korea, temporal frameworks, diaspora, Zainichi Koreans
• Typology: 1.01 - Original Scientific Article
• Organization: FF - Faculty of Arts
• Publication status: Published
• Publication version: Version of Record
• Publication date: 01.01.2026
• Year: 2026
• Number of pages: Str. 210-226
• Numbering: Vol. 34
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-186492
• UDC: 316.347(519.5)
• ISSN on article: 2500-9974
• DOI: 10.55877/cc.vol34.748
• COBISS.SI-ID: 289753347
• Publication date in RUL: 02.09.2026

Record is a part of a journal

• Title: Culture Crossroads
• Publisher: Latvijas Kultūras akadēmija
• ISSN: 2500-9974
• COBISS.SI-ID: 289427715

Secondary language

• Language: Slovenian
• Keywords: drugost v Koreji, časovni okvirji, diaspora, Zainichi Korejci

Projects

• Funder: Other - Other funder or multiple funders
• Project number: AKS-2022-INC-2250001
• Name: Seed Program for Korean Studies