York University will continue to be at the forefront of research and teaching on Korea and the Korean diaspora through a new grant supporting initiatives that enhance scholarship and community engagement.
Ten faculty members at York University, and their collaborators, are the recipients of the highly competitive five-year Strategic Research Institute Program grant, valued at $700,000, from the Academy of Korean Studies, an agency of the South Korean Ministry of Education.
The grant funds the project “Korea in the World: Connecting Korea and Korean Diasporic Legacies” and other initiatives aimed at expanding educational and research opportunities through student supports, scholarships and innovative learning experiences focused on Korea.
The funding was awarded to the University’s Korean Office for Research and Education (KORE), under the leadership of current director, Associate Professor Ann Kim (Department of Sociology, Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies (LA&PS)), to undertake important and timely research on the Korean diaspora and Korean politics, and to advance Korean studies across Canada.
Members of KORE, which is housed at the York Centre for Asian Research, lead initiatives and events through the year. With this new funding, these activities will expand to include art exhibits, research support for graduate students, a graduate summer school, national and international conferences, research collaboration, increased engagement with local Korean communities and more.
“We are truly fortunate at York to have the largest and most multidisciplinary contingent of Korean studies faculty in Canada, along with an ethos of collaboration that is increasingly internationally recognized,” says Kim. “We have fantastic colleagues with energy and enthusiasm for bridging the intellectual and the community and this grant will be invaluable for expanding and strengthening these connections.”
In addition to Kim, York faculty members working on this project include Associate Professor Laam Hae (LA&PS), Associate Professor Theresa Hyun (LA&PS), Associate Professor Mihyon Jeon (LA&PS), Associate Professor Hong Kal (School of the Arts, Media, Performance & Design), Associate Professor Janice Kim (LA&PS), Professor Thomas Klassen (LA&PS), Associate Professor Ahrong Lee (LA&PS), Professor Regina Lee (Lassonde School of Engineering) and Professor Hyun Ok Park (LA&PS).
This is the second significant grant awarded to York by the Academy of Korean Studies. The first, a $1 million Core Institutional Grant, was awarded in 2018 under Park, past director of KORE.
With files from Thomas Klassen