About the Association(SSK)

The Sociolinguistic Society of Korea (SSK) is an academic organization established with the purpose of investigating various topics concerning language and its uses as social acts. SSK provides a venue for sociolinguistics researchers to engage in discussions on language use in diverse and multilingual societies.
Since meanings are realized and contextualized within their pragmatic environments, understanding a speaker’s true intent requires interpreting language beyond its purely linguistic context. These pragmatic environments are shaped by various paralinguistic factors, ranging from speaker relationships to broader cultural contexts. Language comes to life as social actions, and deepening our systematic understanding of their significance is a central focus of sociolinguistics.
Since its foundation in 1990, SSK has facilitated the communication of sociolinguistic research, fostering mutual understanding among individuals under diverse societal and linguistic influences. Ultimately, the society aims to enhance the human capacity to think, behave, and lead a meaningful life—fundamental aspects of humanity.

Missions

• Publications of The Sociolinguistic Journal of Korea and a Series of Sociolinguistic Research and Projects
SSK publishes The Sociolinguistic Journal of Korea quarterly and a book regarding sociolinguistic topics biennially to advance and promote sociolinguistics.

• Domestic and International Conferences
SSK hosts domestic and international conferences each year to advance sociolinguistic research and provide researchers with a venue to share their academic work. Extending beyond the domestic topics, it also convenes international conferences on milestone anniversaries to address global sociolinguistic issues.

• Nurturing Early-Career Scholars in Sociolinguistics
In order to nurture early-career scholars in sociolinguistics and enhance the quality of journal articles, each year, SSK reviews papers published in its journal, selects one outstanding researcher, and confers the “Outstanding Early-Career Paper Award.” This award, offering an opportunity for academic recognition and growth, is presented during the fall conference, where the chosen researcher is provided a certificate and prize.

SSK History

• 1990 : Establishment of the Korean Society of Sociolinguistics (SSK)
• 1993 : Publication of the inaugural issue of The Sociolinguistic Journal of Korea
• 2006 : The Sociolinguistic Journal of Korea indexed in KCI
• 2012 : Publication of The Dictionary of Sociolinguistics
• 2014 : Publication of Sociolinguistics: Language, Society, and Culture (multiple authors) as Sociolinguistic Research Series vol. 1.
• 2021 : Publication of 30 Years of Korean Sociolinguistic Research: Achievements and Challenges (multiple authors) as Sociolinguistic Research Series vol. 2.
• 2024 : Publication of Statistical Analysis Methodology in Korean Variationist Sociolinguistics: Focusing on GoldVarb, LVS, and Rbrul (authored by Hyun-seok Kang, Ph.D.) as Sociolinguistic Research Series vol. 3.

Past Presidents

• 1st President : Jeok-ryun Hwang, Ph.D.(December 1990-December 1992)
• 2nd President : Yeon-sook Hong, Ph.D. (January 1993-December 1994)
• 3rd President : Soon-ham Park, Ph.D. (January 199 5-December 1996)
• 4th President : Deok-ho Lee, Ph.D. (January 1997-December 1998)
• 5th President : Young-soon Park , Ph.D. (January 1999-December 2000)
• 6th President : Hanseok Wang, Ph.D. (January 2001-December 2002)
• 7th President : Sun-hye Hwang , Ph.D. (January 2003-December 2004)
• 8th President : Ha-soo Kim, Ph.D. (January 2005-December 2006 )
• 9th President : Yong-jin Kim, Ph.D. (January 2007-December 2008)
• 10th President : Jin-sung Lee, Ph .D. (January 2009-December 2010)
• 11th President : Hye-sook Kim, Ph.D. (January 2011-December 2012)
• 12th President : Hyun-seok Kang, Ph.D. (January 2013-December 2014)
• 13th President : Kyung-hee Seo, Ph.D. (January 2015-December 2016)
• 14th President : Kyu-hyun Kim, Ph.D. (January 2017-December 2018)
• 15th President : Kyung-sook Baek, Ph.D. (January 2019-December 2020)
• 16th President : Jung-bok Lee, Ph.D. (January 2021-December 2022)
• 17th President : Jaeyoung Heo, Ph.D. (January 2023-December 2024)