History of the English Language and Literature Association of Korea (ELLAK)

Established in October 1954, the English Language and Literature Association of Korea (ELLAK) is one of Korea’s oldest and largest academic associations devoted to English Studies. With more than 2,000 members, ELLAK brings together scholars working in English linguistics, English education, British and American literature and culture, Anglophone literatures, translation, and related fields in the humanities.

For more than seven decades, ELLAK has played a formative role in the development of English Studies in Korea. As the field has expanded beyond the traditional boundaries of British and American language and literature, transnational migration, translation, postcolonial and decolonial critique, ecological crisis, digital media, artificial intelligence, and the plurality of Englishes have reshaped the study of language, literature, and culture. From Korea, ELLAK seeks to provide a scholarly forum in which English literature, Korean literature, Anglophone literatures, and world literature can be examined in relation to one another.

This broader intellectual horizon also informs ELLAK’s commitment to international scholarly exchange. Rather than serving simply as a conduit between Korea and the English-speaking world, the Association seeks to bring perspectives generated from Korean scholarly and cultural experience into wider international debates and to foster multidirectional exchanges of texts, ideas, and critical traditions.

In 2026, ELLAK marks its seventy-second year. Its international conference, “The End: Reclaiming the Beginning,” reflects the Association’s continuing effort to rethink the future of English Studies at a moment of profound disciplinary, technological, and cultural change. Looking ahead, ELLAK remains committed to strengthening English Studies in Korea while contributing distinctive perspectives from Korea to broader conversations on Anglophone literatures, Korean literature, translation, and world literature.