I use computer vision, text mining and large language models to study colonial Korean print culture at scale. My dissertation takes two connected domains: typographic variation and printshop practice, and the visual culture of mass advertising in colonial-era newspapers. With Steven Denney, I also study how Korean national identity is constructed and transmitted through state-authored history textbooks, with computational text analysis.

Leiden, the Netherlands · Dutch citizen · hello@aronvandepol.com

• 2022 to present

  PhD Candidate, Digital Humanities and Korean Studies

  Leiden University, LCDH and LIAS

• Current

  Researcher, Leiden HumAN

  Humanities and AI Network, Leiden University

• Current

  Managing Editor, Korean Histories

  Editorial and production coordination

• Current

  Board Member, Research Planning (연구기획 이사), KADH

  Korean Association for Digital Humanities (한국디지털인문학협의회)

• June 2024 to March 2025

  Junior Research Fellow, Kyujanggak Institute for Korean Studies

  Seoul National University

• 2026 to present

  Web Developer, AKSE

  Full stack · Association for Korean Studies in Europe

• 2022 to present

  PhD, Digital Humanities and Korean Studies

  Leiden University

• 2021 to 2022

  M.A. East Asian Studies, Korea specialisation

  Leiden University

• February to August 2020

  Exchange student, Sogang University

  Seoul · Korean to Sogang Level 5, coursework in digital humanities and Korean historical research

• 2019 to 2021

  B.A. Korean Studies

  Leiden University · final grade 8.2

  Thesis: Quantifying the left. Examining the development of socialist thought inside the Korean colonial magazine Kaebyŏk.

• 2026

  Overseas Korean Studies Grant

  Academy of Korean Studies (한국학중앙연구원) · KS-2026-R-094 · with Steven Denney, PI

• 2024 to 2025

  Junior Research Fellowship

  Kyujanggak Institute for Korean Studies, Seoul National University

• Publications

  Four journal articles, one published, one forthcoming, one under review, one in preparation, with DOI, code and citations on the page

• Talks

  Conference presentations, invited lectures and workshops since 2021, with slides where they exist

• January 2027

  Department of Korean Studies, University of Vienna

  Invited lecturer

• November 2026

  Istituto Italiano di Studi Orientali, Sapienza University of Rome

  Invited lecturer · PhD programme

• 2023 to 2024

  Deep Learning for the Humanities

  Designer and instructor · workshop series, Leiden University

• 2023, 2025, 2026

  AI and the Humanities

  Guest lecturer · Leiden University

• February and November 2025

  Department of Korean History, Seoul National University

  Guest lecturer · The Visual Turn, and Ways of Seeing

• 2022, two editions, and 2025

  Special Topics in Digital Humanities

  Teaching assistant · Leiden University

• 2023

  NLP for the Humanities

  Teaching assistant · Leiden University

• 2021 to 2022

  Hacking the Humanities

  Teaching assistant · Leiden University · an introduction to Python and text mining

• 2021 to present

  Student Assistant, Leiden University Centre for Digital Humanities

  introductory Python and digital text analysis courses, Digital Humanities Lab support for students and staff

• 2019 to 2021

  Student Mentor, Department of Korean Studies, Leiden University

  a cohort of about 25 students, study methods, planning and progression