AsiaPOP! 2024 Guest Speakers

Ji-yoon An is an assistant professor of modern Korean popular culture at the University of British Columbia. Trained in film studies with a focused attention on Korea, An is a scholar of Korean Studies with an interest in cultural trends and flows. An received her PhD in East Asian Studies from the University of Cambridge. Prior to her current position, she was a visiting assistant professor at the University of Hong Kong, Nanyang Technological University, and the University of Tübingen.

Justin Chon is an industry-leading writer, director, and actor. He recently directed the Gotham Award-winning Pachinko, one of Apple’s highest profile series to date. Before that, he wrote, directed, and starred in his original feature Blue Bayou, which premiered at the Cannes Film Festival. His previous film, Gook, premiered at the Sundance Film Festival, where it won the NEXT category. He is currently directing the new Jason Momoa-led Apple TV+ series Chief of War. Chon’s next feature project Night Riders has been preemptively set up with Amazon Studios.

God of Universe blasted onto the Korean indie punk scene with a unique mix of free-spoken lyrics, heavy guitar riffs, and raw punk energy. GOU (Dongjin on guitar/vocals, Namyoung on bass, and Yongpyo on drums) gigs year-round in the Hongdae district of Seoul and in major cities across Korea. While GOU maintains the fun and speedy punk energy inspired by Korean punk pioneers like No Brain and Crying Nut, their sarcastic and sensitive lyrics and grunge sound also draw inspiration from bands like Weezer and The Clash.

Hayoun Kwon is a Seoul and Paris-based artist who works primarily in new media technology, including animation, documentary, 3D, and virtual reality (VR). In addition to solo shows, Kwon has contributed to major group exhibitions, including at the Philadelphia Museum of Art (USA), Nikolaj Kunsthal (Denmark), Grand Duke Jean Museum of Modern Art (Luxembourg), Nam June Paik Art Center (Korea), and the MoMA (USA). Winner of several awards, Kwon is currently nominated for 2024’s “Artist of the Year” award by the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art in Korea.

Jungmin Kwon is an associate professor of digital culture and film studies in the School of Film at Portland State University. Her research and teaching interests include digital culture, film and media, gender and sexuality, the media industry and fans, and Korean popular culture. She is the author of Straight Korean Female Fans and Their Gay Fantasies (2019). Currently, she is writing her second book, titled In Between (In)Visibility: Queer Media Cultures in Contemporary South Korea.