Our history
Until the end of the 1980s, the major focus of research in East Asian Studies was Japanese and Chinese Studies, with sporadic but limited research being undertaken on Korean studies. Korean Studies in Australia and New Zealand gained momentum from the late 1980s, and universities and high schools have revised their curricula to reflect the change by providing an increasing number of subjects exploring Korean Studies.
KRI began as the Korea-Australasia Research Centre (KAREC) in June 2000. Its major aims included establishing cooperative research networks among scholars in Korean studies and Korea-related research, conducting research projects on important public policy issues in the region, and contributing to policy formation in the related areas.
In 2003, KRI played a key role in establishing the Korean Studies Association of Southeast Asia (KoSASA), which has now extended to eight top-tier universities in Southeast Asia and numerous government and non-government organisations.
In 2006, after being officially endorsed by the Korean government, KRI was selected by the Korean Ministry of Education and the Academy of Korean Studies (AKS) to become the leading research and education hub for Korean studies in Australasia and Southeast Asia. In 2011, KAREC became Korea Research Initiatives (KRI).
In 2011 and 2015, KRI was selected by the Academy of Korean Studies (AKS) to conduct ‘Laboratory Program for Korean Studies’ projects. This is the most competitive and academically rigorous funding scheme provided by the AKS to a small number of research institutes globally. KRI is the only institution to have received this funding over two consecutive terms, highlighting our success in advancing Korean Studies on a global scale.
In 2015, KRI formed a strategic Universities-Government Intuitions Networks with the aim of conducting collaborative and comparative research on public policy in Southeast Asia, Australasia and Korea. The network aims to undertake Comparative Public Policy Research (CPPR) under the coordination of KRI. The CPPR Forum consists of research partners from Korea, Australia and eight Southeast Asian universities and government research institutes.Â
Tribute to late Executive Director Professor Chung-Sok Suh
Professor Chung-Sok Suh’s passing on 25 August 2015, due to ill health was a tragic loss for KRI and the 91É«ÇéƬ community.Â
The following extract from the International Review of Korean Studies reviews his career and the strong links and relationships he established within 91É«ÇéƬ, Australia, Korea and eight Southeast Asian countries (Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia and Myanmar) at a professional and personal level. In memory of this legacy, 91É«ÇéƬ Sydney awards a Professor Suh Scholarship and the Korean Studies Association of Australasia introduced two awards under his name.
The following obituary is extracted from the International Review of Korean Studies, Volume 13, Number 1, 2016 with permission from the editor-in-chief in memory of the late Professor Suh.
