Prof. Dr. Hannes Mosler
► Short CV
Hannes B. Mosler holds the Chair of East Asian Social Sciences with a focus on Korean politics and society at the University of Duisburg-Essen, where he is affiliated with the Institute of East Asian Studies (IN-EAST) and the Institute of Political Science (IfP). He received his Ph.D. in Political Science from Seoul National University and was previously a lecturer, researcher, and professor at the Institute for Korean Studies (IKS) and the Graduate School for East Asian Studies (GEAS) at Freie Universität Berlin. His research interests include political systems, comparative (constitutional) law, civic education, memory politics, and social and political institutional change in East Asia, especially Korea.
https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9443-9177► Research Interests
- Political and social questions of modern Korea
- Political parties, party law, and election studies
- Political system and government administration
- Comparative Constitutional Law, comparative constitutional adjudication
- Translation of ideas, norms, and institutions
- Political / civic education
- Political remembrance
► Recent Publications
Mosler, Hannes B. (2025): "Rewriting history, undermining democracy. The role of the New Right in South Korean memory politics," Global Learning Hub for Transitional Justice and Reconciliation. Berghof-Foundation, 1-17.
Mosler, Hannes B. (2025): "The Incurious Approach to East Asian Populism: Why Studies on Japan, South Korea and Taiwan are Often Overlooked in Political Science," Journal of East Asian Studies, Published online January 20, 2025. doi:10.1017/jea.2024.19. co-authors: Axel Klein, Frederic Krumbein.
Mosler, Hannes B. (2024): "Das südkoreanische Wahlsystem und die Parlamentswahl vom 10. April 2024," Zeitschrift für Parlamentsfragen (ZParl), Heft 3/2024, S. 651–669.
Mosler, Hannes B. (2024): "The state of South Korea’s democracy after democratization from an outside perspective," In: Shin, Jin-Wook (ed.). Democracy and Human Rights in the Kim Dae Jung Era. Seoul: Jisiksaneopsa, 335-384. (Korean)
Mosler, Hannes B. (2023): "Out of Proportion: The 2019 Electoral Reform and the State of Representative Democracy in South Korea," in: Lim, Sojin. Politics, International Relations and Diplomacy on the Korean Peninsula. London: Routledge, 1-30.
Mosler, Hannes B. (2023): "Politics of Memory in South Korea: President Yoon Suk-yeol's 2022 Memorial Address on the Kwangju Democracy Movement," in: Kim, Jeong-Young and Lasse Lehtonen (eds.). Proceedings from NAJAKS 2022, Finnish Oriental Society, 1-20.
► Recent Collaborative Projects
South Korea’s Democratization and Democracy (since 2025)
Seoul National University’s Democracy & Democratization Team investigates the developmental trajectory and dynamics of South Korean democracy. Building on a history of rapid state-building and periods of authoritarian rule, the project traces how democratic institutions took root after 1987 and how recent constitutional crises and martial-law-related turmoil signal renewed fragility. Employing a multidisciplinary, multi-perspective approach—political science, sociology, history, anthropology—the team analyzes distinctive features, institutional foundations, and cultural scripts shaping Korean democracy. Moving beyond traditional institution- and voter-focused work, the project integrates theory, history, and comparison to produce a nuanced framework for resilience, vulnerability, and policy reform, with international collaboration globally. The project team is led by Prof. Dr. Joohyung Kim (SNU).
At the Crossroads on the Korean Peninsula: An Interdisciplinary Study of Contemporary Korea (since 2025)
This project argues that Korea’s present transformations require a new, interdisciplinary approach beyond traditional topics like North Korea security, economic growth, and historical narratives. Led by five researchers, the Korean Studies Globalization Lab integrates social science, cultural studies, political science, and history to analyze the evolving landscape of the peninsula, including migration, diaspora networks, and social remittances, as well as Korea’s strategic culture and diplomacy. The study aims to fill gaps in current literature by examining divided society, democratic consolidation, and governance under authoritarian pressures, while engaging policymakers and international scholars. It seeks to expand the Korean studies field to encompass comparative, global perspectives. The project team is led by Prof. Dr. Sojin Lim (UCL).
PinEAD – Populism in East Asian Democracies
This joint project sets out to take a comparative and close look at Populism in East Asian Democracies (PinEAD) to understand the form populism takes in Japan, South Korea and Taiwan; the project is led by Axel Klein, Hannes Mosler (both IN-EAST) and Frédéric Krumbein (Tel Aviv).
The aim of this project is to study South Korea’s New Northern Policy in the context of the challenges and opportunities given by China's Belt and Road Initiative and the US' Indo-Pacific Strategy, and to develop a Eurasian strategy, which through revitalization of minilateralism can contribute to the efforts of establishing a peace system on the Korean Peninsula and Northeast Asia. The project is led by Prof. Jae-Seung Lee at Korea University, Seoul.