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

3D mockup cover of APARC's volume 'South Korea's Democracy in Crisis'

New Book Examines the Threats to South Korea's Democracy

'South Korea's Democracy in Crisis' gathers scholars from the US and Korea to examine the roles of illiberalism, populism, and polarization in the country's democratic decline and the implications for Korean society.

Learn about new volume

South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol speaks on the government supplementary budget at the National Assembly on May 16, 2022 in Seoul.

New Essay: How Diversity Can Unleash Korea’s Innovation

To take a leap forward, South Korea must demolish its exclusionary super-networks and embrace diversity beyond a means to balanced representation as an essential ingredient of creativity, writes Gi-Wook Shin.

Read the essay

Collage of Soo-Man Lee, SUHO, and Ban Ki-moon speaking at a podium

Our 20th Anniversary Conference Spotlights North Korea, K-pop

Focusing on North Korean geopolitics and the South Korean wave, the two-day event featured speakers from the K-pop industry, academia, and government, including Ban Ki-moon, Soo-Man Lee, and EXO's SUHO.

Get the full story

Assessing South Korea's Democracy

Gi-Wook Shin and the Korea Program offer analysis and commentary on the threats to Korean democracy and its future

Visit our resource page

Recently at the Korea Program

The Politics of Gender Equality in South Korea | Young-Im Lee and Min Hee Go

Gender Equity in Higher Education: Korea's Experience in Global Context

'Hallyu' in North Korea: Can South Korean Popular Culture Bring about Real Change?

(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.

Learn More

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.