CEFIA News
● Call for Essays: The Understanding Korea Contest 2025
● Call for Applications: 2026 AKS Fellowship for Korean Studies
● The 190th Colloquium on Korean Studies Abroad
● The 11th AKS Hanmun (Classical Chinese) Fellowship
● Call for Applications: 2026 AKS Fellowship for Korean Studies
● The 190th Colloquium on Korean Studies Abroad
● The 11th AKS Hanmun (Classical Chinese) Fellowship
Call for Essays : The Understanding Korea Contest 2025
We are pleased to announce the Call for Essays for the Understanding Korea Contest 2025. Please review the guidelines outlined below and ensure to adhere them when submitting your essay. Hosted by the Center for International Affair at AKS, the Understanding Korea Project aims to rectify misconceptions and enhance the quality of content about Korea in international textbooks.
| Essay Topics | ● International Images of Korea |
|---|---|
| - Images of Korea as presented in international instruction materials (international textbooks, internet sites, etc.) - Proposals on how to improve the image of Korea ● Notable Applications of Understanding Korea Materials - Notable applications of Understanding Korea materials (Korean Cuisine, Hangeul, etc.) - Proposals for new Understanding Korea materials |
|
| Eligibility | Foreigners, Koreans living abroad |
| Submission | Submit via the official website of the Academy of Korean Studies |
| - Language: Korean or English - Essay Length: Approximately 3 pages in A4 format ※ Download the application form from information bulletins on the Center's website and submit. (Only the official form will be accepted.) ※ Applications can be submitted using either Theme 1 or Theme 2 or both. |
|
| Prizes | ● Grand Prize: 2 (Awarded by the Minister (MOFA & MOE) Prize worth 600,000 won) |
| ● Excellence Prize: 4 (Awarded by AKS President Prize worth 400,000 won) ● Participation Prize: 6 (Awarded by the Center Director Prize worth 200,000 won) |
|
| Application Period | June 1 - July 31, 2025, 18:00 |
| ※ Applications arrived after the deadline (Korea Standard Time) will not be received.. | |
| Announcement | September 25, 2025 |
| ※ The result of the contest will be posted on the Center's website and all winners will be notified individually. |
|
| Contact | The Center for International Affairs, Division of Understanding Korea Project |
| - Email: highspirit@aks.ac.kr ※ All inquiries about the contest must be made by email. |
Call for Applications:
2026 AKS Fellowship for Korean Studies
The Academy of Korean Studies runs the 'AKS Fellowship for Korean Studies' program, aiming to offer international scholars the opportunity to conduct their research(or dissertation research) in Korea. Following the guidelines provided below, the AKS is currently accepting applications for its 2026 AKS Fellowship for Korean Studies program.
1. Eligibility : Foreign scholars of foreign university in the humanities and social sciences
2. Fellowship Period
The fellowship should take place between January 1 st and December 31 st , 2026.
Applicants can apply for minimum two months to maximum six months support.
3. Fellowship Grant
(1) Airfare: Economy-class round trip airfare(Only offered to overseas awardees)
(2) Monthly stipend: KRW 2,000,000
(3) Access to the facilities of AKS including the library
(4) Up to 50% discount of AKS Guesthouse charges
4. Required Documents: Application form, Curriculum Vitae, Certificate of Employment (Registration),
Extra documents for Ph. D. candidate
5. Application Period: June 9, 2025 (Mon.) 10:00AM ~ July 25, 2025 (Fri.) 5:00PM (Korea Standard Time)
6. Submission Method: Online submission at the Academy of Korean Studies' Website
7. Result Notification: The result of your application will be notified individually in September, 2025.
8. Contacts : Division of International Support for Korean Studies (fellowship@aks.ac.kr)
1. Eligibility : Foreign scholars of foreign university in the humanities and social sciences
2. Fellowship Period
The fellowship should take place between January 1 st and December 31 st , 2026.
Applicants can apply for minimum two months to maximum six months support.
3. Fellowship Grant
(1) Airfare: Economy-class round trip airfare(Only offered to overseas awardees)
(2) Monthly stipend: KRW 2,000,000
(3) Access to the facilities of AKS including the library
(4) Up to 50% discount of AKS Guesthouse charges
4. Required Documents: Application form, Curriculum Vitae, Certificate of Employment (Registration),
Extra documents for Ph. D. candidate
5. Application Period: June 9, 2025 (Mon.) 10:00AM ~ July 25, 2025 (Fri.) 5:00PM (Korea Standard Time)
6. Submission Method: Online submission at the Academy of Korean Studies' Website
7. Result Notification: The result of your application will be notified individually in September, 2025.
8. Contacts : Division of International Support for Korean Studies (fellowship@aks.ac.kr)
The 190th Colloquium on Korean Studies Abroad
The Division of International Support for Korean Studies held the 190th Colloquium on Korean Studies Abroad on Thursday, June 5, 2025, at the Grand Conference Room of Munhyeongwan Hall. The recipients of the 2025 AKS Fellowship, Arya Prasad (PhD candidate, Jawaharlal Nehru University) and Christopher James Wearden (PhD candidate, SOAS, University of London), presented the findings of their fellowship research.
Prasad presented on the topic of “Internationalization of Higher Education as a Tool for Soft Power Expansion: A Case Study of International Students from Asia.” Based on her analysis of the experiences of Asian international students residing in Korea, she explained that Korea’s internationalized higher education and systematic advantages led to the formation of a positive impression and contributed to the expansion of soft power. She further emphasized that in order to strengthen this impression, which was formed through the experience of actually residing in Korea, researcher exchange programs must be expanded.
Wearden presented on the topic of “Understanding colonial-era domestic travel accounts through Social Identity Theory (SIT).” Utilizing social identity theory and the concept of “contact zones,” he analyzed the travel accounts of Korean tourists written during the Japanese colonial period. He explained that the records, which describe the imperialist hierarchy and discrimination faced in train cabins, train stations, and inns, influenced the formation of a collective identity and historical impressions, such as that of a “ruined country.”
Many researchers and graduate students attended the colloquium, sharing diverse opinions. The Division of International Support for Korean Studies will continue to provide such opportunities for communication between researchers from Korea and abroad.
Prasad presented on the topic of “Internationalization of Higher Education as a Tool for Soft Power Expansion: A Case Study of International Students from Asia.” Based on her analysis of the experiences of Asian international students residing in Korea, she explained that Korea’s internationalized higher education and systematic advantages led to the formation of a positive impression and contributed to the expansion of soft power. She further emphasized that in order to strengthen this impression, which was formed through the experience of actually residing in Korea, researcher exchange programs must be expanded.
Wearden presented on the topic of “Understanding colonial-era domestic travel accounts through Social Identity Theory (SIT).” Utilizing social identity theory and the concept of “contact zones,” he analyzed the travel accounts of Korean tourists written during the Japanese colonial period. He explained that the records, which describe the imperialist hierarchy and discrimination faced in train cabins, train stations, and inns, influenced the formation of a collective identity and historical impressions, such as that of a “ruined country.”
Many researchers and graduate students attended the colloquium, sharing diverse opinions. The Division of International Support for Korean Studies will continue to provide such opportunities for communication between researchers from Korea and abroad.
The 11th AKS Hanmun (Classical Chinese) Fellowship
The Division of International Support for Korean Studies held the 11th AKS Hanmun (Classical Chinese) Fellowship over the course of 16 weeks from March 4 to June 19, 2025. The fellowship, now in its 11th run, is designed for undergraduate and graduate students majoring in Korean Studies at overseas universities and aims to improve the Classical Chinese competency of the next generation of Korean Studies scholars.
During the fellowship, participants studied three texts, namely The Analects, Instruction for Beginners (Gyemong pyeon), and the History of the Three Kingdoms (Samguk sagi). Notably, all of the participants passed the Hanja Proficiency Level Certification Exam with high scores in their respective levels. They also had the opportunity to directly experience history and culture through two regional field trips: one to Jeollanam-do and one to the Buyeo area of Chungcheongnam-do.
All of the seven fellows, each from a different country, said that the program greatly helped improve not only their Classical Chinese reading ability, but also their Korean language ability—skills which they plan to actively utilize in their future Korean Studies research.
In the second half of 2025, the 12th AKS Hanmun (Classical Chinese) Fellowship will be operated.
During the fellowship, participants studied three texts, namely The Analects, Instruction for Beginners (Gyemong pyeon), and the History of the Three Kingdoms (Samguk sagi). Notably, all of the participants passed the Hanja Proficiency Level Certification Exam with high scores in their respective levels. They also had the opportunity to directly experience history and culture through two regional field trips: one to Jeollanam-do and one to the Buyeo area of Chungcheongnam-do.
All of the seven fellows, each from a different country, said that the program greatly helped improve not only their Classical Chinese reading ability, but also their Korean language ability—skills which they plan to actively utilize in their future Korean Studies research.
In the second half of 2025, the 12th AKS Hanmun (Classical Chinese) Fellowship will be operated.
