The Fall 2025 issue (No. 24) of 『Modern Criticism』 will feature a special feature titled 'Imagination of 'Disease' - The Inner World and Literary and Cultural Responses in the Age of Multiple Crises', and will attempt to foster critical dialogue and convergence with other humanities fields, adjacent arts and culture fields, and literary criticism through columns such as 'Modern Criticism in Korea - Nam Song-woo', 'Criticism Today - Moon Hye-won', 'A Critic's Perspective', 'Reviews of Criticism Collections', 'Philosophy and History Criticism', 'Art Criticism', 'Film Criticism', and 'Transcriticism'.

'Special Feature_Imagination of 'Disease' - Inner Life and Literary and Cultural Responses in the Age of Multiple Crises' will be broadcast live from the 2025 Criticism Symposium, specially planned by the Korean Literary Critics Association and sponsored by the Daesan Cultural Foundation.
This critical symposium is themed “The Imagination of ‘Disease’ – The Inner World and Literary and Cultural Responses in the Age of Multiple Crises.” In Part 1, “Imagination and Ethics of Disease – Literature (Poetry, Novels, Science Fiction),” critics Kim Bo-kyung, Lee Ji-eun, and Park In-seong will present, followed by a discussion and Q&A session with critic Lee Jae-bok. In Part 2, “Disease Narratives and New Perceptions of the Self – Film and Nonfiction,” critics Kim Nam-seok and Choi Se-hee will present, followed by a discussion and Q&A session with critic Hong Yong-hee.

What is distinctive about these writings is that illness is not used as a literary metaphor or symbol, but rather as an object of reflection or thought in the context of real experience.
Moreover, narratives are being written that resist or challenge the neoliberal governance and ableism surrounding the occurrence, treatment, and management of disease, rather than just narratives based on a healing model that treats or overcomes disease.
As the barriers to exposing the empirical self in reality to literary works have become lower than in the past, self-narratives about illness such as the above appear even in poems that rely on relatively non-representational rhetoric.
Poetry of this kind, which can be called 'healing poetry', does not eliminate the negativity of illness, pain, and death, but rather attempts to narrate it as a part of life.
At this time, literary devices such as metaphors do not obscure the reality of illness, but rather help us understand what it means to live with a sick body, and show how the relationship between illness and literature is being re-established.
--- p.18~19 From “Stories of Lying Bodies ￣ Reading Kwon Min-kyung and Kim Hye-sun’s Poetry as Poems of Healing” (Kim Bo-kyung)

Naturally, all the conditions of biological activity, that is, what we eat and drink, and the environment in which we live and work, have a decisive influence on slowing down, managing, and overcoming aging.
If you are pressed for time, eat junk food, live in an uncomfortable environment, and do physical labor, you will age quickly.
Time is not given equally, and biological time is even more so.
The 'pathologization of aging' makes us recognize aging, which was once considered a 'natural physical change', as a socially constructed concept and a result of class.
In short, aging today has become a 'classified disease'.
--- p.42 From “Elderly People in an Anti-Aging Society ￣ The Threshold of Imagination on Aging and Death as Diseases” (Lee Ji-eun)

At this point, we must return to the fundamental question shared by the Cyberpunk series.
Does an augmented machine body really create a cyberpsycho? The answer is no.
Clearly, cyberpsychopaths are a physical substitute for a sick society, closer to structural debris.
But the key answer is that cyberpsychos are by no means the result of cybernetic body modification.
As Cyberpunk 2077's various quest stories demonstrate, not all cyberpsychos possess incredible cybernetics or are humans equipped with unmanageable, massive implants.
Rather, there are many people who experience cyberpsychic phenomena by just replacing a single part, and rather than causing a ruckus, they quietly die in isolation in their own rooms, cut off from the real world.
--- p.68 From “Reloading Humanism ￣ The Mediating Imagination of SF and Meta-Humanism” (Park In-seong)

The view that madness in Korean film history continues in a certain direction and context, forming a flow, may be nothing more than a conjecture and a kind of preliminary perspective.
This is because these perspectives need to be objectively recognized, and there are still procedures to further clarify the connections and influences between the works.
However, in the process of extracting the way madness is dealt with and understanding it as a disease, important cognitive insights into how Korean films view society, reality, daily life, and history can be found.
The insight is revealed in revealing the identity of the opponent who is depicted as the object of madness.
--- p.113 From “The Mutated Other in the History of Madness” (Kim Nam-seok)

Most of Baek Se-hee's essays are records of consultations with psychiatrists.
Looking at the prevalence of this type of writing, we can see that psychiatrists are trusted as the ones who acknowledge that everyday, contradictory feelings like "I want to die but I want to eat tteokbokki" are "okay" and suggest solutions.
If we think of this form as a form of pastoral power that forgives sins when they are confessed, we can see that medicine is taking over the role that religion used to play.
The question then arises: What kind of individual female figure does this form of self-confessional writing cast?
--- p.120 From “Why I Want to Die but Want to Eat Tteokbokki” (Ryu Su-yeon)

His literary work, which began with Yun Dong-ju, goes beyond critical writing and focuses on establishing and disseminating the 'cultural theory' of our time.
Like the clear and bright light of the world that brightens as the sun peeks out from the hazy horizon, his gaze, like a heavy shadow beneath his clear and distinct voice, seems to show us the path we should take as we wander and lose our way.
Although no one has ever walked that road, it feels like you could run down it with peace of mind.
On the one hand, Yun Dong-ju's reflective self-reflection and guilt, which remain in him like a 'prayer' of bitterness, can be compared to the guilt of Gwak Ri-ja-go, who failed to stop the madman and his wife from falling into the water in Gonghu-in (??引).
Just as Gong Hu-in's singing voice spread through the crowd, the beckoning message of Nam Song-woo's writing remains a strong thread in Korean critical culture, like the low yet deeply penetrating breath of a performance.
--- p.142 From “On the Breath of Criticism Played in the Low Air of ‘Gwakrijago’ ￣ Thoughts on Regional Culture by Nam Song-woo” (Jeong Hoon)

If regional movements and maritime humanities are the slogans that describe critic Nam Song-woo's lifelong practice, then his exploration of Yun Dong-ju, Ko Seok-gyu, and Kim Yun-sik can be said to be the roots and literary driving force behind such practice.
Moreover, the reason why this argument seems important in examining his critical history is because he recently published a book that reorganizes Yun Dong-ju and Ko Seok-gyu.
Previously, Nam Song-woo published his master's and doctoral dissertations as a book titled 『A Glimpse into the Poetry and Life of Poet Yun Dong-ju』(Pukyong National University, 2007), and recently republished it as 『Reading Yun Dong-ju's Poetry Again』(Bulhwi Media, 2024).
In addition, following the publication of the thesis “An Interpretive Study of Ko Seok-gyu’s Criticism in the 1950s” (1996), he published “Anthology of Ko Seok-gyu’s Criticism” (Jimanji, 2015), and then “Biography of Ko Seok-gyu” (National Institute of Korean Studies, 2022), compiling the history of Ko Seok-gyu research.
Recently, he seems to be returning to his academic roots, consolidating his critical world.
Therefore, what this article seeks to address could be expressed as a tributary of literature that has become the nourishment of Nam Song-woo's criticism.
--- p.145~146 From “The Roots of Nam Song-woo’s Criticism ￣ Yun Dong-ju, Ko Seok-gyu, Kim Yun-sik” (Park Dong-eok)

For Moon Hye-won, poetry is poetry theory, and poetry theory is in turn connected to the poet's thoughts.
His repeated narrative style, that poetry is both a theory of poetry and a practice of thinking about poetry, and that changes in the theory of poetry directly lead to changes in poetry, reveals that the triangular structure of poetry, theory of poetry, and poet is the basic unit of Moon Hye-won's criticism.
This shows that what Moon Hye-won ultimately explores through criticism is not the aspects of individual works and poetic theory, but the essence and conditions of existence of the genre called poetry.
--- p.168 From “Enumeration and Creation ￣ Reading Moon Hye-won’s Criticism Metonymically” (Song Hyeon-ji)

The passage that reflects on the complex meaning of the Korean word ‘hello’ is also unusual.
The author's wish for "peace" (p. 255), which goes against the reality that is difficult to find peace in the conflict between money and virtue, cannot be a passion limited to Robert in the novel.
It is a prayer and wish that spreads like concentric ripples to all those seen and unseen who are living in pain today.
Reflecting on the power of money, which is a 'separate thing that is nothing special', the author may have re-established the humanistic context of the Ring of Gyges and imagined a meaningful contemporary ring narrative.
While the Ring of Gyges ultimately resulted in the suffering of the tyrant, Kim Ae-ran's Ring unfolds the alchemy of pursuing a truly 'peaceful' world by tracing that suffering.
--- p.187~188 From “A Separation That Wasn’t a Separation” (Woo Chan-je)

What is noteworthy is that in the ‘family’ motif consisting of ‘father’, ‘grandmother (mother)’, and ‘me’, the ‘father’ shows a special characteristic that is different from the Oedipus complex of general psychoanalysis in that he resists the symbolic order.
Another point to note is that “I” has a duality of being infiltrated by the symbolic order and resisting it through “transition of being,” and that “I”’s “transition of being” and the possibility of regeneration and recovery are obtained not through autonomous and active will, but in a passive and dependent position, as seen in “Father, hold me, you darn thing.”
The passive and involuntary subject aspect of Jeong Jae-hak's poetry is connected to what I mentioned earlier, that one of the factors that makes the realization of unconscious wishes possible is the "sharp crescent moons" that "poured out" "from grandmother's eyes."
--- p.195~196 from “Two Series of Abyssal Reality and Dreamwalking Sublime ￣ Types and Genealogy of Korean Poetry Since 2000 1” (Oh Hyeong-yeop)

What is literature, criticism, or writing in our time?
Why do we keep swimming in the swamp?
To demonstrate the poverty of a violent world, to transform even a single reader, or simply with a fateful craftsmanship? Even in an age where writing remains painful and the rewards of that pain largely dissipate into thin air, do people continue to write because, without even the painful act of writing, they cannot bear the futility of a single human life?
Isn't that emptiness the emotion that can most strongly 'resonate' between the writer and the reader?
If literature exists in such a place, it cannot be said that the place is poor.
--- p.236~237 From “Literature of Resonance ￣ Reading Seong Min-yeop’s Criticism” (Jo Yeon-jeong)

An optimistic posthumanist philosophy argues that a healthy posthuman path is opened when human-developed artificial intelligence seeks ways to help and coexist with humans.
Just as humans have found a way out of the ecological crisis by coexisting with nature, it is argued that now that technology and objects have penetrated deeply into the human realm, we must find a way to prevent dystopia by coexisting with technology and objects.
To do so, we will need deeper insight into the properties of artificial intelligence and the status of technology and objects in modern society.
Our literary figures still have the task of contemplating more deeply the nature and status of human beings while anticipating a future that has not yet arrived.
Kim Joo-yeon's collection of critiques presents us with such a task.
--- p.244~245 From “The Path of Literature in the Posthuman Era ￣ Dedicated to Kim Ju-yeon’s ‘Posthuman and Literature’” (Lee Soong-won)

Through the practice of writing, Lee Byung-guk seems to be trying to become a future Good Samaritan who absolutely welcomes even the dangers of others.
We seek to “reach a ‘good place’” by transforming the existing universality of a ‘good person’, forming relationships with new types of people, and welcoming even unknown ethics.
That is the path of criticism he wants to walk.
--- p.264 「The mind of the rear guard that looks back and cares ￣ Lee Byeong-guk, 『The mind that does not give up』(Walking People, 2024)」(Noh Ji-young)

I think the choices we have are, first, to accept our current, fragmented and difficult-to-reach theories of truth and assert each truth within its own camp, or second, to clarify that even different truths are in fact one truth.
If we accept the former, we are simply acknowledging the conflict between disciplines and the conflict in the theory of truth in the name of diversity.
This raises the concern that, in extreme cases, we might fall into relativism and nihilism, failing to see any fundamental difference between knowledge and fiction.
Of course, some might argue that this is nothing to worry about.
But if someone were to argue that the distinction between knowledge and fiction disappears and that it doesn't matter, then even the person arguing would have to admit that it would be difficult to see why we should listen to that argument.
--- p.272 From “Do We Have a Unified Theory of Truth?” (Kwon Young-woo)

Let's watch the water fetching contest again.
The condition for victory is that you must not spill any water.
The wife takes care of herself and ends up not spilling a single drop of water.
The water in the bowl can be seen as a metaphor for the mind.
Because water reflects the sky, its heart is the original heart that contains the sky.
Not shedding a single drop of water is not shedding a single drop of heart.
To give one's all is to keep one's original heart completely.
This story tells us that humans should love each other and all things with that kind of heart.
It is said that if people become right in their hearts, then the world will also become harmonious.
This is the advice on love and life that "The Pitfallen Scholar" gives us.
--- p.293 From “Keep My Flaws - Understanding Love and Life in the Korean Folk Tale “The Tale of the Sorrowful Scholar” (Bin Sok)

After watching Anora, you realize that the way the Ivan family chooses their daughter-in-law and the way club patrons select strip dancers seem completely different, but in fact, they are similar.
If Anora settles for a life of being an animator, she will eventually live as an object waiting for someone's evaluation and approval.
Anora doesn't offer any clear hope for Anora's life until the ending credits roll.
And yet, when Igor and Anora embrace in the car, shielded from all outside interference and gaze, amidst the heavy snow, there is a warmth that is conveyed without words.
The warmth reflects the audience's aspirations, raising expectations for the self-sufficient world the two might create together.
Even after the film ends, Anora's house will still shake with each passing train, but now she may be able to discover a small crack that opens into a future that 'doesn't belong to anyone' and 'doesn't have to be anyone'.
I believe so.
--- p.307 From “〈Anora〉, which belongs to no one and does not need to belong to anyone” (by Ahn Seung-beom)

By portraying doctors and lawyers as ordinary office workers, “Unsuljeon” and “Seocho-dong” weakened the professionalism and heroism of professional dramas and reduced the number of episodes related to patients and clients.
The space was filled with the wanderings and worries of the main characters, and attention was paid to their relationships.
What is important here is that it is not the protagonist but the 'protagonists'.
In order to highlight professionalism and heroism, it is necessary to feature a single protagonist.
The fact that the main characters of both dramas are Bok-su (the Gang of Four and the Gang of Five) already implies an intention not to place expertise and heroism at the center of the narrative.
Instead, both dramas focus on the friendships between their multiple protagonists.

--- p.315 From “The Transformation of Professional Dramas ￣ 〈Someday, the Life of a Wise Resident〉 and 〈Seocho-dong〉” (Baek Gyeong-seon)