Centering Korean ways of knowing

When Seungho Moon first came to the United States as an exchange student, he noticed a world map while observing an elementary school classroom. 

The map was centered differently from the maps he had grown up seeing in South Korea. 

“I was used to seeing the map centered around the Pacific,” Moon said. “But here, the map was centered around the Atlantic.” 

For Moon, the experience was an early reminder that perspective can shape how we see the world. 

Now a professor in Loyola University Chicago’s School of Education, Moon has received a 2026–27 Fulbright U.S. Scholar award to visit South Korea and examine how Korean ways of thinking can inform research.  

The Fulbright Scholar Program sends roughly 800 U.S. faculty and professionals abroad each year to teach, research, and build international connections, and then return home to share their experiences with their students and colleagues. 

Rethinking Korean studies  

Moon’s project, “Korea as Research: Ontology and Methodology of Korean Diaspora,” explores Korean epistemology, or ways of understanding knowledge, and how they might contribute to research on diaspora, cultural identity, and cross-cultural conversation. 

“For me, this is an opportunity to combine my lived experiences, my scholarship, as well as how to rethink the meaning of Korean studies in 2026,” Moon said. 

Moon said many established research approaches, whether quantitative or qualitative, are rooted in frameworks developed primarily from Western perspectives. While researchers can bring their own experiences into those frameworks, he has often felt there was limited space for his Korean identity and ways of thinking to shape the research itself. 

“For me, Korean studies is not just something that we study,” Moon said. “I hope to recenter Korean studies as a unique and important research method.” 

Research in Korea 

At Seoul National University, Moon will work with archival collections at the Kyujanggak International Center for Korean Studies, including historical materials spanning centuries. He also plans to work with resources at the National Library of Korea and National Assembly Library and interview scholars specializing in Korean philosophy. 

The research will draw on Korean philosophical and cultural traditions, including Neo-Confucianism, Taoism, Buddhism, and Shamanism. Moon is particularly interested in concepts such as relationality, inclusivity, empathy, and ethical commitment. 

He plans to use his research in Korea to develop a publication exploring how Korean epistemological concepts can inform new research frameworks. 

A personal connection 

Early in Moon’s career, he sometimes questioned whether he was doing things the right way and felt pressure to act like the colleagues around him. As an immigrant and faculty member, he said, “I have to translate not only linguistically, but also culturally.” 

“This is both my intellectual and personal journey: How can I be just myself?” 

The Fulbright, he said, offers both a sense of recognition and “a turning point in my scholarship.” 

“You do not have to pretend or follow other people,” Moon said. “You are good enough to be yourself in terms of your ways of thinking, ways of being, ways of feeling.” 

That is also the message Moon hopes students will take from his experience, particularly students of color and students from Asian communities who may feel overlooked or struggle with a sense of belonging. 

He encourages students to seek out friends, organizations, faculty, and other communities that can provide support, solidarity, and a sense of belonging. 

When he returns to Loyola, Moon hopes to bring new perspectives from his research in Korea and continue exploring the value of centering Korean studies as a critical research methodology. 

Read more stories from the School of Education.