The theme of this special issue is bare life. What 'bare life' refers to is all kinds of agonies of our 'fellow' human beings, agonies that put a chill in one's bones, makes one feel ashamed of oneself, and be pessimistic about the very existence of human beings. In this issue, the contributors illuminate the thinking behind conspiring with or being blinded by the reality that produces bare life; and examine bare life with a focus on Agamben's thoughts on the subject, at least a sophisticated, critical explanation on one form of bare life; and then confront the consider the Korean versions of such lives.

Please note that this issue of Journal BOL was invited by Documenta 12 to be one of the participants of a collective worldwide editorial project linking over 90 print and on-line periodicals to provide a platform for international solidarity and communcation among journals in the critical sphere and for the public.

Also included is a supplement featuring drawings inspired by Korean war oral histories by artist Huh Yun-hee.