Chosŏn History Society: Update for 2026

Dear friends and colleagues,

Since the Chosŏn History Society was founded in 2021, we have been working to connect scholars of Korea's past worldwide. What began as a series of on-line talks has led to the establishment of CHS as a full-fledged 501(c)(3) non-profit organization ready to advance the field in new ways.

The first is the launching of the Global Chosŏn Initiative, the creation of annual workshops that promote interchange between scholars primarily publishing in the Korean language and those primarily publishing in major Western languages (English, French, German, Spanish, etc.). The Initiative will take the form of annual workshops, alternating between Korea-based hosts and Western-based (US, EU, Canada,) etc.) academic host institutions. However, before the workshops can take place, Chosŏn History Society needs to raise funds to support them. It aims to raise at least $10,000 by Summer 2027 to fund the Initiative for the next 3 years. These funds would help offset travel expenses for presenters and costs for host institutions. So far, through efforts by its Board Members, Chosŏn History Society, has raised $2200 for the cause. If you are interested in hosting a Global Chosŏn Initiative event, please reach out to us.

The Chosŏn History Society will now start implementing an official membership system. Membership dues of $10 per year will cover the upkeep of CHS's web presence, a professional Zoom subscription, and legal costs. These would allow CHS to continue hosting regular online research talks. As before, the talks will remain open to the public. We hope you will consider joining as a member.

Members of the Chosŏn History Society will be eligible to vote in the CHS Annual "Best English-Language Article in Korean History" Prize. Established to recognize outstanding contributions to our understanding of Korea's past, the prize will be awarded annually to one peer-reviewed article nominated by the CHS prize selection committee. The author of the recognized article will receive a cash prize of $300. The committee will forward nominations for the 2024-2025 academic year by January 2026, with finalists announced for member consideration in February 2026.

We are excited by the our initiatives for 2026 and hope you will support our cause by joining us.

Sincerely,

Nick Marceau

Founder and Board Chair