Alex Taek-Gwang Lee

Alex Taek-Gwang Lee (born 29 February 1968) is a South Korean professor of philosophy and cultural studies. He is a faculty at the School of Communication and founding director of the Centre for Technology in Humanities at Kyung Hee University, Seoul, South Korea.
He is a researcher and author, his specialties include French and German philosophy and its non-Western reception, Deleuze and Guattari, Korean cinema, popular culture(K-Wave), art, and politics. He has authored Communism After Deleuze, Colors of the Concepts: Philosophers on Paintings and others. He has co-edited a book <nowiki/>'The idea of Communism 3<nowiki/>', with Slavoj Å½iÅ¾ek. He also edited the book <nowiki/>'Deleuze, Guattari and the Schizoanalysis of Postmedia'.
Early life and education
He was born on 29 February 1968 in Chilgok County, North Gyeongsang Province, South Korea.
He completed his Bachelor and master's degrees in English literature from Pusan National University, Korea. Later, he went to UK and done another MA in philosophy from University of Warwick and Doctorate in Philosophy and Comparative Literature, The University of Sheffield, UK.
Work and reception
Alex is a philosopher and cultural critic, working as a professor at School of Global Communication, Kyung Hee University, South Korea. He is also a visiting professor at the Centre for Culture, Media and Governance at Jamia Millia Islamia (India), and Graduate School at The University of Santo Tomas (Philippines).
French and German philosophy: Deleuze and Guattari
His studies focus mainly on 20th century thinkers. He discusses the concept of 'end of the history' in relation of South Korea. Slavoj Å½iÅ¾ek used his statement in this same context - Å½iÅ¾ek writes, Lee suggests that if Alexander Kojève were alive today, he would see South Korea as a contemporary example of the “end of history,” just as Kojève once saw Stalinist Russia and later Japan as places that had reached a final, stable social order. Lee's point is subtle, as he implies that it is impossible to understand South Korea's position in the context of this “end of history” without considering North Korea. This is due to their interconnectedness and shared history.
His research interest in communism and Deleuze's studies led him to write on these topics. He organised the Idea of Communism conference in Seoul, South Korea along with Alain Badiou and Slavoj Å½iÅ¾ek. Later he edited the volume of The Idea of Communism 3 with Salvoz Zizek. It also includes perspectives from across Asia, notably from Chinese scholar Wang Hui, who provides a regional perspective on communism at a time of global economic crisis and political upheaval.
In the context of concept creation, Alex stand his position with the term 'Third World'. 'Third World' likely means ideas, concepts, or language that exist outside of the mainstream or established philosophical “territories”. He along with Deleuze and Guattari's concept deterritorialisation, deals in breaking the exist idea of concept creation.
The Korean Issues
The phrase "eschatological force," was introduced by Him in the context of the Korean War. It refers to a powerful, almost fateful presence of unresolved historical trauma that " haunts" the Korean Peninsula. With this phrase, Lee means that- Koreans live in a state of contradiction—advanced yet constantly threatened by destruction. The ideological clash of the Korean War deeply shaped both nations, with the border symbolizing unresolved tensions. For Koreans, this "Cold War" remains dangerously alive, a fragile peace on the edge, as if the doomsday clock still ticks without a fresh battery.
Alex Taek-Gwang Lee's work on Korean society and popular culture examines how South Korean people and media is changing it global image. He criticises the new face of capitalism, in issues of managing finances, young Koreans have been changed a lot. They believe in splurge. Because, in the economy, savings have not remained a guarantee for a better future, so, the trend of investing in the present is on the hike.
In addition, Lee provides insights into the evolution of trot (ppongjjak) music in South Korean culture, contrasting it with mainstream K-pop. While K-pop is commercialized and idol-focused, trot emphasizes musical skill and artistry, rooted deeply in Korean history. This connection to traditional culture gives trot enduring value, appealing to Koreans seeking cultural ties. Its adaptability has enabled trot's revival and continued relevance, even as other music genres come and go. He sees it as a reflection of the growing influence of feminist movements in reshaping the literary landscape, moving male writers to the background. While he shares some criticisms of the Nobel Prize, he finds Han Kang's win particularly meaningful as she is the first female Asian writer to receive the honour. He also expresses hope that this achievement will encourage global readers to explore Asian literature more deeply.
Conference, lectures and papers
In academic settings, Lee has delivered specials lectures and papers at conferences at universities and institutions such as Cornell University (USA), University of the Philippines Baguio, (India).
His academic work has been published in many journals and books such as Deleuze and Guattari Studies-Edinburgh University Press Journal, Angelica, Kritike, Studies in Philosophy and Education-Springer and others.
Member and association
Lee is the founding member and in the advisory board of the Asia Theories Network. He is also in the advisory board of the journal 'Symploke' where Ian Buchanan is associate editor and Jeffrey R. Di Leo is the editor-in-chief. He is on international editorial board of UNITAS.
Publication
Editors
* The Idea of Communism 3:The Seoul Conference (co-edited with Salvoz Zizek), 2016; Verso (UK), ISBN 9781784783945
Book Chapters
* 2025 “Literature as a Global Theory”, Theory as World Literature (edited by Jeffrey R. Di Leo and Thomas Oliver Beebee and published by Bloomsbury, UK), forthcoming
* 2024 “Lenin and Artificial Intelligence”, Lenin: The Heritage We (Don't) Renounce (edited by Hjalmar Jorge Joffre-Eichhorn and Patrick Anderson and published by Daraja Press, Canada)
* 2023 “Hegel and Netflix”, Outspoken: A Manifesto for the Twenty-First Century (edited by Adrian Parr and Santiago Zabala and published by McGill-Queen's University Press, Canada)
* 2021 “Worlding Cinema”, The Bloomsbury Handbook of World Theory (edited by Jeffrey R. Di Leo and Christian Moraru and published by Bloomsbury, UK)
* 2021 “Walter Benjamin, Gilles Deleuze, and Mickey Mouse: Animation in the Age of Technical Reproducibility”, Thinking with Animation (edited by Joff P.N. Bradley and Catherine Ju Yu Cheng and published by Cambridge Scholars Publishing, UK)
* 2021 "The Ghosts of Civilized Violence", Conversations on Violence: An Anthology (edited by Brad Evans and Adrian Parr and published by Pluto Press)
* 2018 “The Ghostly Presence of an Untranslated Book: The Korean Reception of Race, Nation, Class”, in Balibar/Wallerstein's Race, Nation, Class: Rereading a Dialogue for Our Time (edited by Manuela Bojadzijev and Katrin Klingan, published by Argument-Velag, Germany)

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