Participants at a CKR conference on NGOs in Korea, 2008.
The Centre for Korean Research is the oldest research institute in Canada with an exclusive dedication to Korean Studies.
Originally founded in 1993, CKR is one of five regional Asian research Centres within the Institute of Asian Research. In 2017, this Institute and the Centres associated with it became part of the School of Public Policy and Global Affairs. The Centre is currently co-directed by Professor Don Baker (UBC Asian Studies) and Professor Steven Lee (UBC History).
The establishment of CKR was made possible by the the generous support of several organizations, including the British Columbia Society for the Advancement of Korean Studies, the Korea Foundation, the Pohang Iron and Steel Co, and the Sammi Group. The Korea Foundation provided funds in 1993 for the first CKR chair in Korean Studies, held by Dr. Kyung-Ae Park. In 2002, combined support from Atomic Energy of Canada and the Korea Electric Power Corporation allowed a second Korea research chair to be filled with the appointment of Dr. Hyung Gu Lynn.
Professor. Don Baker introducing a performance of Korean traditional music, 2007.
Dr. Yunshik Chang presenting his research.
Dr. Steven Lee (Left) moderates a talk by Dr. Albert Park, 2017.
Participants at a CKR conference on NGOs in Korea, 2008.
During its formational years, from 1993 t0 2001, CKR was directed by Professor Yunshik Chang (UBC Sociology). Under his leadership, CKR hosted a number of international conferences, including the Fourth Pacific and Asian Conference on Korean Studies in 1998, which was attended by over 100 scholars from around the Pacific Rim. Selected papers from that conference were published in 2000 by the Institute of Asian Research under the title “Korea Between Tradition and Modernity.” After he stepped down as CKR director in 2001, Dr. Chang continued to ensure that research promoted by the CKR was made available to the broader academic community. In 2006 Transformations in Twentieth Century Korea, co-edited by Yunshik Chang and Steven Hugh Lee, was published by Routledge in its Advances in Korean Studies series. In 2009 Routledge added Korea Confronts Globalization, edited by Chang, Hyun-ho Seok, and Don Baker, to its Korean Studies series.
In 2001 the leadership of the Centre was passed on to Professor Don Baker who served as director for the next 7 years. During this time CKR has taken some crucial steps to engage with scholars and officials in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (North Korea). In 2002 the CKR worked with the Faculty of Agricultural Sciences to bring a delegation from the Academy of Agricultural Sciences in Pyongyang to UBC. This visit facilitated a space for discussion on approaches to sustainable agriculture. In 2008, another North Korean delegation visited UBC and the Centre organized a workshop to discuss differences of historical interpretation regarding the ancient northeast Asian kingdom of Koguryŏ. This conference was notable for the diverse range of scholars it brought together from across the globe, including 6 participants from the DPRK, 4 from the People’s Republic of China, 8 from South Korea, 3 from Japan, 6 from the United States, 2 from Canada, and one scholar from Italy. It also paved the way for a much larger effort to engage with scholars in the DPRK which took place in 2011. That year the CKR hosted the 10th International Conference of the International Society for Korean Society. Since a main purpose of the ISKS was to give researchers from both Koreas a chance to meet and discuss academic subjects in a neutral environment, ten scholars from North Korea and 20 scholars the South Korea presented papers at that conference.
The Centre for Korean Research continues to promote academic exchanges between North and South Korean scholars as well as connecting Korean Studies scholars in Canada and around the globe with each other. Here at UBC, it has also played an active and instrumental role in supporting research by graduate students. The Centre hosts graduate students as CKR fellows each year, providing them with a study space, a small research stipend, and a supportive community of fellow scholars. Students are also connected with a global intellectual network through the Worldwide Consortium of Korean Studies Centers—which includes research centres from Europe, China, Japan, Korea, and the US. As a member of this consortium, CKR sponsors one graduate student annually to attend the annual conference of the consortium and present a paper on their research.
Building on this legacy, the Centre for Korean Research hopes to continue supporting the study of Korea at UBC and promote academic collaboration with scholars in both Koreas as well as anywhere in the world where research on Korea is done.
Learn more about Centre for Korean Research here.
