Peter Banseok Kwon 권반석
BA, University of California in Irvine
MA, Harvard University
PhD, Harvard University
On Fulbright research leave during Academic Year 2024-2025
As a historian of modern Korea, Professor Kwon's research focuses on military-civilian relations during South Korea's postwar military modernization and how these dynamics intersect with the country's political, cultural, technological, and socioeconomic developments. More broadly, his interests include the relationship between authoritarian politics and civil society in East Asia, the global history of militarism, Korean nationalism, the interplay between security and technology, and the connections between Christianity and social movements.
His forthcoming book, Cornerstone of the Nation: The Defense Industry and the Building of Modern Korea under Park Chung Hee, is scheduled for publication by the Harvard University Asia Center Publications Program in February 2024.