On Dec. 6, the Institute of Convergent Civilization, in collaboration with the Institute for Communication and Public Discourse, held the “2024 Hwan-Donghae Academy Symposium: Imagining the Ocean Through SF” in Room 307 of the Mueunjae Memorial Hall. The Hwan-Donghae Academy is a program designed by local experts to highlight the geographical significance of Pohang as a maritime city and explore its identity. This symposium sought to explore how the SF genre bridges imagination and reality in the context of rapidly advancing science and technology and the uncertainties of the future.
The symposium featured prominent SF writers and creators who presented their insights on the meanings of the ocean and deep sea in their works and how these themes were integrated into their creative processes. The speakers included SF critic Lee Ji-yong, novelist Jeong Bo-ra, and webtoon artist Noh Mi-young. SF critic Lee Ji-yong presented “The Depiction of Oceans in SF,” focusing on works such as 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea and Beacon of the Dark Sea. He introduced both domestic and international marine SF, explaining that the ocean is not merely a natural space but also a symbolic medium representing humanity’s confrontation with the unknown, challenges, and the future. He emphasized that SF is a genre that explores unimaginable possibilities, and the ocean, as a boundless space of potential, is continuously reinterpreted across diverse creative works. Author Jeong Bo-ra delivered a presentation titled “Imagining Marine Creatures: Building Relationships with Non-Human Beings,” where she shared her experiences in the creative process. Her works, featuring six stories about marine (and extraterrestrial) creatures, reflect labor, disability, climate, and ecological issues as mirrors of our world. She remarked, “When the world collapses, no one can escape unscathed. If Earth is destroyed, all living beings lose their home,” delivering a thought-provoking message and raising awareness of environmental urgency. Webtoon artist Noh Mi-young presented on the theme “Imagining the Deep Sea, Disasters, and Humanity,” focusing on her webtoon Deep Sea Water. Through the lens of this work, she explored disaster narratives set in the extreme environment of the deep sea, delving into human vulnerability and the survival instinct. She explained, “The deep sea is a space that is difficult for humans to access, but the stories that unfold there can symbolically represent the extreme situations of life.” She also discussed the process of conveying these themes through the visual medium of webtoons.
Following the presentations, a comprehensive panel discussion was held featuring Dr. Lim Ji-won, a literary scholar, film critic Kim Hyo-jung, and Yoo Jae-won, the operator of the “SF Survival Kit” YouTube channel. Moderated by Honorary Professor Choi Young-ho of the Korea Naval Academy, the discussion delved into meaningful and in-depth conversations. The panel explored how the SF genre can offer new perspectives on the ocean and marine spaces while examining the potential for merging literary content with scientific innovation.
Dr. Kim Jin-hee, Director of the Institute of Convergent Civilization, stated, “I hope this event serves as a platform for various stakeholders involved in the production, consumption, and analysis of SF to share new imaginations and visions about the ocean, the sea, and the deep. It is an opportunity to expand the possibilities for the artistic convergence of literary content and science.” This symposium established itself as a meaningful event, leveraging the geographical and cultural characteristics of Pohang to explore the potential for convergence between SF and maritime themes.
