In 1957, Ari was established as the first university-affiliated research institute in Korea. During the 1950s and 60s, the institute gained fame for its in-depth research in regards to communist bloc. Afterwards, it continued to expand research areas to China, Japan, Southeast Asia, and Korea, firming its position as the leading research institution in the field of Asian studies. After the first issue of the quarterly academic journal, The Journal of Asiatic Studies, was published in 1958, ARI has published volumes of the Research Collection Series and Document Collection Series. The institute also has hosted international conferences every year, which is one of ARI’s numerous academic activities.

 

I am also greatly pleased to announce that last November 2008, ARI was chosen as a research institute for the Humanities Korea Project for regional studies. The Korean government initiated this project to support efforts to build world-class research centers in the field, and this, indeed, has afforded ARI with an important stepping-stone to achieve its ambitious goal, a goal to develop into a top-notch research institute which will lead regional studies at the global horizon. As a first step, the institute renovated its building to provide an ideal research environment, reconstructed its affiliated resource center—ARI’s East Asian Library— and developed a new website to efficiently share its fruits with scholars in the world as well as the public. As well, the institute has employed more than ten outstanding scholars specializing in theory, societies, cultures, and politics of Northeast Asia. For the transparent management, it also has thoroughly restructured organization.

 

Additionally, ARI will first publish a quarterly e-journal—Northeast Asia Review—in May, 2009, and is planning various international and domestic academic conferences as well as services for the public. Furthermore, ARI is reinforcing its relationships with other first-rate institutions for regional studies in order to cooperatively advance towards its ambitious goal.

 

 

March 1^st, 2009

Director of Asiatic Research Institute, Korea University

 

Nae-young Lee