Graduate School of Humanities and Sociology, the University of Tokyo Project Assistant Professor
Main achievements
Lee, C. (2022). “Between Visible and Invisible Deaths of the Korean War: Re-envisioning Operation Glory (1954) at the United Nations Memorial Cemetery in Korea.” International Journal of Military History and Historiography, 44(3), 458-483. https://doi.org/10.1163/24683302-bja10037. 【English】
- Award-winning thesis of the 2022 IJMH Early Career Paper Prize, https://brill.com/view/journals/ijmh/ijmh-overview.xml?contents=Award
Lee, Chungsun. (2023). “United Nations Memorial Cemetery in Korea as a Site of Memory: Heritagization of a War Cemetery.” Ph.D. Thesis, Graduate School of Humanities and Sociology, The University of Tokyo. 【Japanese】
https://www.l.u-tokyo.ac.jp/postgraduate/database/2022/2022thesis-74.html.
Lee, C. (2024). “Implications for Peace on Memorial Space of the United Nations Forces in the Korean War: Memorial Service Hall in the United Nations Memorial Cemetery in Korea.” Journal of Peace and Unification Studies, 16 (3), Institute for Peace and Unification Studies, Seoul National University, 269-305. 【Korean】
Field of research
- Heritage Studies (World Heritage Studies)
- War and Society (Military History and Historiography)
The kind of researcher I want to become
My research activities have led to notable achievements, including winning the 2022 International Journal of Military History and Historiography (IJMH) Early Career Paper Prize from Brill and the International Commission of Military History, as well as the BOSTON AWARD for EXCELLENCE 2024 in World Heritage Research presented at Harvard University. While focusing on my doctoral dissertation, I served as an academic supervisor for a historical documentary produced by the Korean Broadcasting System (KBS). My research, which originated from my dissertation, was showcased in a Special Exhibition at the National Museum of Korean Contemporary History in 2024.
As a researcher at the Waseda Institute of Political Economy, I look forward to expanding my activities through collaborating with my affiliated institutions and academic partners. These include the University of Tokyo, Seoul National University, ICOMOS-KOREA, the Graduate School of World Heritage Studies at Konkuk University, Brill, Atsumi International Foundation, and the Contested Histories Initiative. My goal is to create interconnected networks that foster the collaborative development of reconciliation studies by sharing research findings and strengthening win-win relationships between Waseda and these partner institutions.
I will continue to devote myself to promoting peacebuilding through cultural heritage by sharing research findings on war-related memories and their impact within the context of international reconciliation studies. By engaging with contemporary global issues of ongoing conflicts and refugee crises, my project aims to expand the conventional scope of Asian Studies, Cultural Studies, History, and Heritage Studies by providing in-depth insight into heritage values in mainstream heritage discussions and practices. As a researcher connecting Japan, Republic of Korea, and the global community, I strongly believe that my efforts will contribute to knowledge sharing with society.
My research theme
As an official Meister of World Heritage Studies in Japan, I have been engaged in fieldwork and archival research on cultural and World Heritage Sites. My interdisciplinary research covers the eclectic heritage that hold diverse memories of the Korean War from the perspectives of history, sociology, and anthropology. I have been conducting multidimensional research to expand my doctoral dissertation, which mainly focuses on the only UN cemetery in the world: The United Nations Memorial Cemetery in Korea (UNMCK), located in Busan, Republic of Korea. I have been proactively sharing the results of my research in collaboration with various institutions, including the UN Archives and Management Section in the UN Headquarters, Brill, The Contested Histories Initiative, military research institutions of the UN-allied nations during the Korean War, and KBS.
In 2021, I acted as an official advisor for the special documentary produced by KBS, “Land of Memory, the UN Cemetery.” Commemorating the 70th anniversary of the establishment of the UN Cemetery, this documentary made a timely contribution to remembering the “forgotten war” and providing insights into peacebuilding and reconciliation for a better world.
- This is my interview conducted as a Meister of the World Heritage Studies in Japan:
https://www.sekaken.jp/about/recognition/interview106/
- My Kudos Research Showcase, invited by Kudos Innovations, can be found at:
https://www.growkudos.com/publications/10.1163%25252F24683302-bja10037/reader
Tentative title
I hope to leverage my expertise and practical skills in the publication of the International Reconciliation Studies at Waseda University, including Heritage Studies, World Heritage Studies, War Studies, Military History, and Asian Studies. Specifically, I look forward to researching international reconciliation in the “Reconciliation-Culture and Memory Team.” My work will involve analyzing various discourses related to the interpretation of World Heritage Sites with particular attention to conflict heritage and historical monuments associated with the Korean War, as well as the Korean Peninsula. I expect to examine these topics through the lenses of sociology, memory, history, and international politics.
I have published book chapters, including Management of World Heritage Sites, Cultural Landscapes and Sustainability (Cambridge Scholars Publishing, 2020) and Cultural Sustainable Tourism (Springer Nature, 2022). Additionally, I serve as a co-translator for the collaborative research titled “Our Common Dignity: Rights-Based Approaches Working Group, History and Milestone,” which I have been working on as a study member of the ICOMOS-KOREA (2024-2025).
Research Image
2021年の学術論文が2024年大韓民国歴史博物館・国連軍特別展示会の展示物に活用