APARC - Korea Home

Who We Are

The Korea Program at Stanford’s Shorenstein Asia-Pacific Research Center is a West Coast hub of scholarship on contemporary Korea and the issues shaping the future of the Korean Peninsula and U.S.-Korea relations. Our work examines these topics from regional and comparative perspectives through cultural, political, and economic lens. We train and support emerging Korea scholars and convene experts from academia, government, business, and civil society for dialogue, research, and publishing activities that inform policymakers in the United States and Korea and strengthen the bonds between the two countries.

About Us

In the Spotlight

South Korean men standing up, wearing face masks, holding hands and cheering

Gi-Wook Shin Discusses South Korean Ruling Party’s Local Election Losses on CNBC

“The South Korean people gave the Moon administration a red card,” says Shin, predicting that containing soaring housing prices and other domestic challenges will be the deciding issues in next year’s presidential election.

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Demonstrators in South Korea sitting on the ground and carrying signs in Korean

Gi-Wook Shin on Racism in South Korea

Protections against gender and sexual discrimination are increasing in South Korea, but addressing longstanding racial discriminations based in nationalism and building a multicultural identity still has a long way to go.

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Cover of the book 'Shifting Gears in Innovation Policy' on the background of an embossed map of Asia.

New Book: Shifting Gears in Innovation Policy

Yong Suk Lee explains that while ‘catch-up’ strategies have been effective in promoting traditional economic growth in Asia, innovative policy tools that foster entrepreneurship will be needed to maintain competitiveness in the future.

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(Right to left): Gi-Wook Shin, ROK Ambassador to the US Cho Yoon-je, and Siegfried S. Hecker seated at a conference room at Stanford

Our Research

Together with academics and stakeholders in government and civil society, we explore Korean issues and policy solutions through economic, social, political, and security lens.

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Are South Korean Liberals Truly Liberal?

Recently at the Korea Program

Byongjin Ahn and Aram Hur join APARC and Korea Program Director Gi-Wook Shin to discuss the current tone and potential trajectory of liberal nationalism in South Korea and its effects on the country's democratic institutions and international priorities.

Hallym-Stanford Innovation Cnference Panel

Our Publications

We share our research findings through peer-reviewed journals, scholarly and trade presses, policy reports, and Shorenstein Asia-Pacific Research Center’s publishing program.