Korea Program at Stanford APARC

In the Spotlight

Lee Jae-myung, the presidential candidate of the Democratic Party, and his wife Kim Hea-Kyung celebrate in front of the National Assembly on June 4, 2025 in Seoul, South Korea.

Is South Korea’s New President Good for Democracy? Gi-Wook Shin Weighs In

The political drama of the last six months ended with Lee Jae-myung's win of the June 3 snap election, but its impact on Korea’s democracy will be enduring, writes Gi-Wook Shin In the Journal of Democracy.

Korean election analysis

Gi-Wook Shin Reflects on Twenty Years of Leadership at Shorenstein APARC

As he prepares to step down as APARC director at the end of August, Professor Gi-Wook Shin, who also directs the Korea Program, reflects on two transformative decades at the center and the road ahead.

Read Shin's Reflections

Collage of headshots of Stanford students

Policy Lab Research Assistants Admitted to Top Doctoral Programs

A Stanford student and four recent alumni who served as research assistants at the Stanford Next Asia Policy Lab (SNAPL), led by Gi-Wook Shin, will begin doctoral studies at top institutions in fall 2025.

Meet our SNAPL alumni

Recently at the Korea Program

North Korea Foreign Policy Under the Three Kims | Yong Suk Lee and Benjamin R. Young

Youth Movements in Asia, Past and Present | Jeffrey Wasserstrom, Meredith Weiss, and Gi-Wook Shin

Domestic Political Challenges Facing the U.S.-South Korea Alliance | Scott A. Snyder

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

(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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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.

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