Young-min Kim (; born 1955) is a South Korean literary scholar and critic. Kim's research interests have included the history of modern and contemporary Korean literature, with a focus on literary works produced during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. He conducted research concerning the Korean Enlightenment period in the late nineteenth century.
Kim was recognized as a distinguished scholar by the National Research Foundation of Korea for his study of Korean literature in 2007.Yonsei Public Relations, "Professor Young-min Kim Selected as 2007 Distinguished Scholar (National Scholar) [김영민 교수, 2007년도 우수학자 (국가석학) 선정]," Yonsei Sympathy, October 16, 2007, https://www.yonsei.ac.kr/ocx/news.jsp?mode=view&ar_seq=10783&sr_volume=452. He has also received the title of Distinguished Underwood Professor by Yonsei University, and he was awarded the Nanjeong Academic Prize in 2019."Distinguished Underwood Professor Appointment [언더우드 특훈교수 임명]," Sympathy, November 27, 2008, https://www.yonsei.ac.kr/sc/intro/sympathy.jsp?article_no=98255&mode=view.Sang-hyun Park, "Professor Young-min Kim and Yu-kyung Son Receive This Year's Nanjeong Academic Award [올해 난정학술상에 김영민·손유경 교수]," Yonhapnews, April 5, 2019, https://www.yna.co.kr/view/AKR20190405105300005.
Life and career Young-min Kim was born in Seoul, South Korea, on April 26, 1955. Kim attended Daegwang Middle School and Daegwang Highschool, later studying at Yonsei University where he earned his master's and doctoral degrees in Korean Literature. He wrote his doctoral thesis on 1920's Korean literary criticism.
From 1984 to 1987, Kim served as an assistant professor at Jeonbuk National University and later as a professor of Korean literature at Yonsei University Mirae Campus.Theodore Jun Yoo, "Introduction" in The History of Modern Korean Fiction (1890-1945): The Topography of Literary Systems and Form, Young Min Kim and trans. Rachel Min Park (New York: Lexington Books, 2021), xi. He was a visiting scholar at Harvard-Yenching Institute in 1994 and 2003, and a visiting scholar at Rikkyo University from 1997 to 1998.Theodore Jun Yoo, "Introduction"xii.
In 2007, Kim was selected as a national scholar for his achievements in the study of the history of modern Korean novels.Yonsei Public Relations, "Professor Young-min Kim Selected as 2007 Distinguished Scholar (National Scholar)[김영민 교수, 2007년도 우수학자 (국가석학) 선정]," Yonsei Sympathy, October 16, 2007, https://www.yonsei.ac.kr/ocx/news.jsp?mode=view&ar_seq=10783&sr_volume=452.
From 2008 to 2010, Young-min Kim was the president of the Society of Korean Literary Studies (한국문학연구학회) and the director of the Institute for the Study of Korean Modernity (근대한국학연구소).Theodore Jun Yoo, "Introduction", xi. He is currently a professor emeritus of Korean literature at Yonsei University.
New Methodology for Modern Korean Literature Kim introduces a paradigm that works as the foundation for the history of modern Korean novels. He applied his methodology emphasizing media and language to describe the formation of modern Korean literature.Chang-sin Kim, "Professor Young-min Kim of Yonsei University Selected as National Scholar [연세대학교 김영민 교수 국가석학으로 선정]," Wonjukyocharo, October 15, 2007, https://web.archive.org/web/20151222120228/http://sem.wjkcr.com/board/contentsView.php?idx=791655&hl=23963&npg=32&spg=31.
His book, A Study on the Literary System and Formation of the National Language for Modern Korean Literature (문학제도 및 민족어의 형성과 한국 근대문학(1890-1945), 2012), the English translated version of which is The History of Modern Korean Fiction (1890-1945): The Topography of Literary Systems and Form, is the first South Korean book to be selected for Choice Reviews' annual list of Outstanding Academic Titles.Wonji Lee, "Yonsei Mirae Campus '"History of Modern Korean Fiction"' Selected as CHOICE Outstanding Academic Titles 2021 [연세대 미래캠 '한국근대문학사,' 미국 우수학술도서 CHOICE Outstanding Academic Titles 2021 선정]," UNNnews, March 21, 2021, http://news.unn.net/news/articleView.html?idxno=525594. Choice Reviews praised Kim's detailed and extensive notes on the development of modern fiction and the translation of Rachel Min Park."HK+Committee overseas collection "The History of Modern Korean Fiction" Selected as Choice Outstanding Academic Titles 2021 [HK+사업단 해외총서 Choice Outstanding Academic Titles 2021에 선정]," Institute for the study of Korean Modernity, https://cmks.yonsei.ac.kr/system/xbd/board.php?bo_table=publication3&wr_id=50.
His book explores Korean texts in the Korean Enlightenment period, illustrating his comprehensive and contextualizing perspective. His analysis provides new insights into cultural developments, such as the emergence of new literary styles and genres.Theodore Jun Yoo, "Introduction", xii.
He analyzes a wide array of genres and styles of texts, bridging the gap left by literary scholars who disregarded the importance of socio-historical context.Theodore Jun Yoo, "Introduction," xii.
Awards and achievements Kim received many awards, including:
Yonsei University Academic Award (Humanities and Social Sciences) (연세대학교 학술상 (인문과학부문), 1997) Distinguished Underwood Professor (언더우드 특훈교수 선정, 1998) 38th Korea Baeksang Publishing Culture Award - Writers' Award (제 38회 한국백상출판문화상 - 저술상, 1998) Distinguished Scholar (National Scholar) by National Research Foundation of Korea (한국연구재단 우수학자 (국가석학) 선정, 2007) Yonsei University Outstanding Researcher Award (연세대학교 연구우수교수, 2007) Recognition of Outstanding Research Capabilities (우수연구실적표창, 2008) Yonsei University Outstanding Researcher Award (연세대학교 연구우수교수, 2013) Outstanding Achievement Award (Research Section) (우수업적교수상, 2018) 4th Nanjeong Academic AwardSang-hyun Park, "Professor Young-min Kim and Yu-kyung Son Receive This Year's Nanjeong Academic Award [올해 난정학술상에 김영민·손유경 교수]," Yonhapnews, April 5, 2019, https://www.yna.co.kr/view/AKR20190405105300005. (제 4회 난정학술상, 2019)
Criticism Kim had changed the trend of modern Korean literary criticism, mainly focusing on the criticism of proletarian literature during the 1920s-30s. Kim's approach emphasized the significance of continuity in Korean literary criticism. According to the "continuity theory" he advocates, the interconnections between literary theory and the historical context of Korea form the development of modern Korean literary criticism. Kim contributed to bridging the gap between literary criticism and historical context by stressing continuity.
Examples he provides for his continuity theory include his assessment of the history of criticism in the 1930s. He views the history of criticism in the 1930s as "the united front of literature", advocating Ham-gwang An's perspective that perceives humanism as an anti-fascist struggle for class solidarity.Seong-su Kim, "The Research Result and Task of the History of Modern Literary Criticism Arriving at Crisis [고비에 이른 근대문학비평사 연구의 성과와 과제-김영민, 『한국문학비평논쟁사』]," Journal of Korean Literature [현대문학의 연구], no. 4 (1993): 347-348. Concerning Kim's opinion, Sung-su Kim, a lecturer at Sungkyunkwan University, argues that the assumption of cooperation and solidarity seems questionable since hegemony and collision occur between bourgeois literature and proletarian literature.Seong-su Kim, "The Research Result and Task of the History of Modern Literary Criticism Arriving at Crisis [고비에 이른 근대문학비평사 연구의 성과와 과제-김영민, 『한국문학비평논쟁사』]," 348. Kim highlighted the close connection between the history of criticism and the evolution of national literature theory, encompassing the period from pre-independence to the early 1990s. Additionally, he expanded the boundaries of national literature theory by underlining the continuity of criticism that persisted from the post-independence era to the critique of modern Korean fiction during the colonial period. In 1999, he addressed the history of KAPF (Korean Artist Proletarian Federation)'s literary criticism and the main arguments in the history of modern Korean literary criticism.Do-yeon Lee, "The Method and Task of Narrating the History of Literary Criticism [비평사 서술의 방법과 과제-김영민의 『한국근대문학비평사』를 중심으로]," Soonchunhyang Journal of Humanities [순천향 인문과학논총] 34, no. 4 (2015): 6.
Works
Remapping and Positivism of Literary History Kim restructures literary history through two notions, i.e., "remapping" and "positivism". He introduced these notions in his book, A Study on the Literary System and Formation of the National Language for Modern Korean Literature (1890-1945). He remaps authors and literary works by time and place. He analyzes many sources, such as newspapers and magazines, to prove that positivism is crucial. He argues that interpretations based on Western ideological criteria distorted Korean literary history by overlooking external sources which formed modern Korean fiction.Min-ho Song, "The Prospect and Scene After Dissolution of the History of Modern Korean Literature -Young-Min Kim, The History of Modern Korean Fiction: The Topography of Literary Systems and Form (1890-1945) [한국근대문학사의 전망과 해체 이후의 풍경- 김영민, 『문학제도 및 민족어의 형성과 한국 근대문학(1890～1945)』 소명출판, 2012]," The Journal of Korean Literary History [민족문학사연구], no. 52 (2013): 607-609. Kim uses various external sources, such as literary systems, media, and language, beyond the boundaries of literatureMin-ho Song, "The Prospect and Scene After Dissolution of the History of Modern Korean Literature -Young-Min Kim, The History of Modern Korean Fiction: The Topography of Literary Systems and Form (1890-1945) [한국근대문학사의 전망과 해체 이후의 풍경- 김영민, 『문학제도 및 민족어의 형성과 한국 근대문학(1890～1945)』 소명출판, 2012]," 613. to restructure the history of Korean literature.
The Formation of Modern Fiction through Editorials and Narratives
Yu-Chan Choi, a professor of Korean language and literature at Yonsei University, credits Kim for discovering the importance of editorials and narratives in the development of modern fiction.Yu-chan Choi, "Regarding the Methodology of the History of Literature [문학사의 방법론에 관하여 <김영민 저 『한국근대소설사』, 솔출판사>]," Journal of Korean Modern Literature [현대문학의 연구], no. 9 (1997): 579. In his book, History of Modern Korean Fiction (한국 근대 소설사, 1997), Kim defines the critical traits of modern fiction as editorials, narratives, and enlightenment.Yu-chan Choi, "Regarding the Methodology of the History of Literature [문학사의 방법론에 관하여 <김영민 저 『한국근대소설사』, 솔출판사>]," 578. He connects the three categories, focusing on the contributions of editorials and narratives to the Korean Enlightenment in developing the history of fiction.Yu-chan Choi, "Regarding the Methodology of the History of Literature [문학사의 방법론에 관하여 <김영민 저 『한국근대소설사』, 솔출판사>]," 579. He uses Yi Gwangsu's works as an example of modern fiction. He redefines Yi Gwangsu's Mujeong as modern fiction by comparing the similarities and connections between Yi Gwangsu's editorial, Rural Community Development, and his fiction, Mujeong. By verifying the relationship between Yi's editorial and fiction, he argues that the influence of editorial and narrative forms modern fiction.Yu-chan Choi, "Regarding the Methodology of the History of Literature [문학사의 방법론에 관하여 <김영민 저 『한국근대소설사』, 솔출판사>]," 581.
Published works
Authored books Suju Byeon Young Lo Critical Biography (수주 변영로 평전, 1985) A Study on Modern Korean Authors (한국근대작가 연구, 1985) A Study on Literary Theory (문학이론연구, 1989) A Study on the History of Korean Literary Argument Criticism (한국문학 비평논쟁사, 1992) National Literature and Modernity (민족문학과 근대성, 1995) History of Modern Korean Fiction (한국근대소설사, 1997) A New Understanding of Yeom Sang-seop's Literature (염상섭 문학의 재인식, 1998) A Study on the History of Modern Korean Literary Criticism (한국근대문학비평사, 1999) The Reflection and Prospect on Korean Literature in 20th Century(20세기 한국문학의 반성과 쟁점, 1999) A Study on the History of Modern Korean Literary Criticism 2(한국현대문학비평사, 2000) Korean Literature in the World (세계 속의 한국문학, 2002) Korean Literature in a Multimedia Era (다매체 시대의 한국문학, 2002) A New Understanding of Lim Hwa's Literature (임화 문학의 재인식, 2004)