Inha University K-Academic Diffusion Research Center Officially Launches the 3rd Cohort of ‘K-Connectors'   On September 4, the K-Academic Diffusion Research Center at the Inha University Institute of International Studies successfully held the launching ceremony for the 3rd cohort of ‘K-Connectors’ at Inha University’s Inha Creative Space, marking the official beginning of a youth-led project to promote the diffusion of Korean Studies in the field of social sciences.   The launching ceremony was attended by Dr. Seungjae Lee (Center for International Studies, Inha University), Dr. Siyao Xing (K-Academic Diffusion Research Center, Inha University Institute of International Studies), Researcher Ryo TAHARA (the center), along with the 3rd cohort organizers and participants of K-Connectors, totaling 35 people. Attendees shared project plans, anticipated outcomes, and aspirations for the 3rd cohort, and pledged their commitment to the six-month journey ahead. ‘K-Connectors’ is a youth-led Korean Studies diffusion project organized by the K-Academic Diffusion Research Center at Inha University. It brings together domestic university students to reinterpret Korean Studies from a social-scientific perspective and to disseminate it both domestically and internationally through various content and projects. Now in its third cohort, the program consists of seven teams with a total of 28 students, each of whom will design and carry out their own distinctive projects.   The main activities include planning and managing online and offline projects on Korean Studies topics grounded in the social sciences, designing, producing, and disseminating innovative content, and conducting external outreach through social media. Through these efforts, the program is expected not only to broaden the base of Korean Studies but also to generate diverse attempts to explore the intersections between academia and society. The launching ceremony was held in two sessions. The first session began with an opening declaration and congratulatory remarks from key representatives, followed by presentations from four teams introducing their project proposals, including their themes, approaches, and activity plans. In the second session, the remaining three teams presented their projects, and an ice-breaking program involving all participants was conducted, providing an opportunity to build a foundation for exchange and collaboration among the teams. During the project presentation session, proposals that approached the theme of promoting Korean Studies in the field of social sciences from diverse perspectives were introduced, drawing strong interest from the participants. The subsequent Q&A session fostered lively discussions, facilitating the sharing of perspectives and the expansion of ideas among participants.   The official activity period for the 3rd cohort of K-Connectors spans approximately six months, from August 2025 to January 2026, during which participants are provided with a certain level of funding necessary for project operations. Participants who complete all activities faithfully will receive a certificate of completion. Upon conclusion of the program, outstanding teams will be selected based on performance evaluations, and separate awards will be presented.   Through the activities of the 3rd cohort of K-Connectors, the K-Academic Diffusion Research Center expects to provide an opportunity to reinterpret Korean Studies in a contemporary light—not merely from the perspective of traditional culture or history, but through the analytical lens of the social sciences—and to explore its potential for broader dissemination from multiple angles.   Looking ahead, K-Connectors is anticipated to expand its activities through various channels, including exchanges with international students and young people both domestically and abroad, as well as global collaborative projects, thereby contributing to the enhancement of the status of Korean Studies on the world stage.

Director Lee Jean Young - Development of K-academic Diffusion activities in Manila, Philippines   From August 29 to 31, 2025, Lee Jean Young, Director of the Inha Center for International Studies (ICIS), together with co-researchers of ICIS, Yang Min-a, Kim Suweon, and Bae Kyung-min, conducted K-Academic Diffusion and Touring K-Arts activities in Manila, Philippines. The purpose of this visit was to expand the foundation of Korean Studies and strengthen public diplomacy by visiting Ateneo de Manila University and local cultural institutions, promoting the establishment of Korean Studies courses, and offering programs that allowed participants to experience traditional Korean culture.   The first engagement was a visit to the Department of Korean Studies at Ateneo de Manila University, where meetings were held with the dean, the director of the Korean Studies Institute of Ateneo de Manila University, and Professor Bae Kyung-min of the University of the Philippines. During the meeting, the K-Academic Diffusion’s K-MOOC course program was introduced, receiving a positive response from Ateneo de Manila University. It was agreed that future collaborative initiatives would be pursued under the leadership of Professor Bae Kyung-min, thereby establishing a sustainable and stable framework for cooperation. At the seminar held during the visit, Prof. Kim Suweon delivered a presentation. Approximately 40 students participated, engaging in an active session of questions and discussions that highlighted the strong interest of local students in Korean Studies. The seminar went beyond a simple academic presentation, providing students with firsthand exposure to the significance and potential of Korean Studies research, and serving as an important opportunity to strengthen academic ties between Korea and the Philippines. At the ambassadorial dinner hosted by Ambassador Lee Sang-hwa of the Republic of Korea to the Philippines, representatives from the Korean Residents Association, the Korean Cultural Center, and public diplomacy officials attended to discuss potential avenues for cooperation in the field of public diplomacy. The dinner, which demonstrated that academic diffusion activities can extend into both diplomatic and community spheres, highlighted the potential for academia and diplomacy to function in a mutually complementary manner. In addition, a traditional Korean culture experience program was co-hosted by the Korean Cultural Center in the Philippines, the King Sejong Institute, and Ateneo de Manila University. The program featured a performance of the Taepyeongmu dance and a hands-on Ganggangsullae activity, both designed to enable students and local citizens to participate directly. These initiatives were met with enthusiastic responses, allowing participants not only to watch performances but also to engage meaningfully with the cultural significance of Korean traditions.   This visit to Manila yielded meaningful outcomes on multiple fronts. Academically, it achieved progress through constructive discussions on the adoption of the K-MOOC courses offered by the Inha University Center for International Studies, while culturally, it made a substantial contribution to the dissemination of traditional Korean culture. At the same time, by strengthening exchanges in the realm of public diplomacy, the visit helped to establish a solid foundation for Korean Studies in the Philippines and contributed to diversifying the international network of Korean Studies. Such achievements—combining academic, cultural, and diplomatic dimensions—are expected to serve as an important driving force for the stable establishment and further expansion of Korean Studies in the Philippines in the future.  

Director Lee Jean Young -  Development of K-academic Diffusion activities in Sydney, Australia   From August 20 to 27, 2025, Lee Jean Young, Director of the Inha Center for International Studies (ICIS), and Yang Min-a, Co-Researcher of the K-Academic Diffusion Project, carried out K-Academic Diffusion and Touring K-Arts activities in Sydney, Australia. The purpose of this visit was to collaborate with the University of Sydney, a leading hub for Korean Studies in Australia, and to promote traditional Korean culture through local cultural and educational institutions, thereby broadening the scope of international academic exchange.   The delegation visited the Department of Korean Studies at the University of Sydney and held a meeting with Professor Ki-Sung Kwak, the Chair of Korean Studies. They introduced the objectives of the K-Academic Diffusion Project in detail, distributed promotional brochures, and discussed potential opportunities for academic and cultural cooperation. Given that the University of Sydney houses the oldest Korean Studies department in Australia, this visit was highly meaningful in strengthening the international standing of Korean Studies research and in establishing long-term partnerships.   In collaboration with the Korean Cultural Center in Sydney, lectures on traditional Korean dance and demonstrations of Ganggangsullae were conducted. The program was held three times for a diverse audience, including high school students from New South Wales. Participants were able to experience the essence of Korean traditional culture firsthand, going beyond simply watching a performance to actively engaging in the activities. These initiatives not only broadened understanding of Korean traditional arts but also inspired local students to take a greater interest in Korean Studies.   Promotion of the K-Academic Diffusion Project was also carried out alongside the program. By utilizing QR codes, local participants were able to easily access materials online, ensuring that the dissemination of academic content could continue even after the event. A tangible outcome of this initiative was the receipt of expressions of gratitude from local institutions and an invitation to hold the event again next year.   Overall, this visit to Sydney can be regarded as a successful case of achieving two goals simultaneously: the promotion of Korean Studies and the dissemination of traditional Korean culture. Academically, it helped lay the groundwork for exchanges in Korean Studies, while culturally, it engaged local youth and the general public through Korean traditional arts. Furthermore, by strengthening trust with local institutions and establishing a foundation for ongoing collaboration, this initiative is expected to serve as a catalyst for the promotion of Korean Studies in Australia and the expansion of international academic networks.  

Sung Dongki, an affiliated researcher at K-Academic Diffusion Research Center - Development of K-academic Diffusion activities in Dushanbe, Tajikistan From August 5 to 9, 2025, Professor Sung DongKi, a co-researcher at K-Academic Diffusion Research Center of Inha Center for International Studies(ICIS), visited the King Sejong Institute in Dushanbe and the Embassy of the Republic of Korea in Tajikistan. His visit created a meaningful occasion to introduce the K-Academic Diffusion Project and the K-MOOC courses to local institutions. He then met with the chairman of the Koryoin Association and members of the Koryoin Business Club to share research results and business objectives, and to expand the educational value and accessibility of Korean studies to the local Korean community by guiding the K-MOOC courses. The discussion with local Koreans served as an occasion to directly confirm their interest in and support for Korean Studies research and educational initiatives. This became a meaningful milestone in laying a solid foundation for continued academic and cultural exchange in the future.  

Successful Completion of the ‘K-Connectors 3rd Cohort’ Pre-Training   The Inha K-Academic Diffusion Research Center successfully held the pre-training session for the 3rd cohort of the K-Connectors program on August 6 in Room 602 of Building 9 at Inha University.   The K-Connectors program aims to promote the expansion of Korean studies in the field of social sciences, with undergraduate students taking the lead in planning and operating their own projects. This pre-training session was organized to help participants understand the purpose of the program and acquire essential knowledge for project planning.     The session included an introduction to the K-Connectors program and schedule, case studies from the 2nd cohort, and a lecture on public diplomacy. In particular, Kim Do-yeon (Inhanuri Team), Kim Tae-yeon (Lips Team), and Jung Da-min (ConnectIN Team) participated as mentors in behalf of the 2nd cohort to share their experience and advice to the 3rd cohort.   Kim Do-yeon, serving as a mentor, shared the case of the INHA-K project, which aimed to foster an inclusive multicultural society through participatory communication activities centered on the lives and voices of international students. The project pursued this goal with four key strategies: experiential education, expansion of public sphere, operation of an information community, and dissemination of digital content. Kim emphasized, “What matters is not the quantity of projects but their qualitative depth. Even for a single project, we need to carefully consider ways to ensure its sustainability.”     In addition, mentor Kim Tae-yeon shared her experience with the Open Your LIPS project, which sought to explore mutual understanding and the possibilities of coexistence between the Chinese-Korean community and the Korean society. During the Q&A session, she explained how the team came to connect with Chinese-Korean schools—where information is often limited—and advised participants to actively consider collaboration with external organizations.     Finally, mentor Jung Da-min shared a case of the project focused on Korean Goryeo people who are prone to being alienated due to institutional and social barriers. She said, “Cooperation and communication are the most important thing when working on a project. If communicating with other team members is not smooth enough, the level of completion of the project might decrease" She advised.     In the following special lecture, “Understanding Public Diplomacy,” Lee Seung-jae, a research professor at Inha Center for International Studies(ICIS) at Inha University, delivered a talk on the theme of “A Comparison with Japan’s Public Diplomacy.” Dr. Lee provided an in-depth explanation of the concept, key elements, and types of public diplomacy, as well as the current state of public diplomacy in the fields of Korean Studies and social sciences, highlighting the differences with Japan.     Meanwhile, the kick-off ceremony for the 3rd cohort of K-Connectors is scheduled for September 4, after which participants will officially begin their team projects. The K-Academic Diffusion Research Center plans to continue their support for the K-Connectors program to facilitate the expansion of Korean studies through diverse initiatives.  

K-Academic Diffusion Research Center Hosts Colloquium and Campus Tour for Next-Generation Korean Studies Scholars from the Philippines   On Monday, July 28, the K-Academic Diffusion Research Center at Inha Center for International Studies (ICIS) held a colloquium titled "Religious Identity and Culture Wars in South Korea” at the main conference room of the Jungseok Memorial Library.   This event was part of the 2025 Korea-Philippines Next-Generation Korean Studies Exchange, Cooperation, and Training Program (KONECT), and was held at the request of students and researchers from the UP Korea Research Center at the University of the Philippines. They visited Inha University to explore academic perspectives on various issues in Korean religion, politics, and socio-cultural dynamics.   At the colloquium, Dr. Lee Won-dong (Research Professor at Inha University) delivered the keynote presentation, while Professor Lee Jin-young (Director of the Institute of International Relations at Inha University) served as the moderator. Professor Bae Kyung Min (University of the Philippines) participated as a discussant, offering in-depth commentary from a political science perspective on Korea’s religious and cultural conflicts.   The event served to deepen the understanding of Korean Studies among emerging scholars overseas and laid a foundation for future international academic exchange and cooperation. Participants shared diverse perspectives on Korea's socio-cultural context and reflected on their roles and potential as agents of public diplomacy.     Following the colloquium, a campus tour of Inha University was conducted. Participants visited key landmarks such as the Jungseok Memorial Library, Inkyung Lake, Unam Lake, and the Heidegger Forest, where they were briefed on the university’s history and founding philosophy. They were particularly impressed by the identity of Inha’s and its historical mission to rebuild the nation through education after the Korean War and to connect with overseas Korean communities.   Participants shared their impressions, stating, “It was a meaningful experience to not only visit but also directly witness and learn about Inha’s historical background and identity,” and added, “It was truly inspiring for young international students pursuing Korean Studies.”   The K-Academic Diffusion Research Center at Inha University stated, “We will continue to collaborate with the scholars within the field of Korean Studies worldwide, leading the expansion of Korean Studies content and fostering substantial international academic exchange.”