Oxford announces its first dedicated centre for Korean Studies

Plans have been unveiled to establish the Oxford Centre for Korean Studies (OCKS) amid growing interest in Korea from students and researchers.

OCKS will be a new interdisciplinary research hub within Oxford University’s Humanities Division. It was announced by Professor Jieun Kiaer of the University’s Faculty of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies at the opening of the Stephen A. Schwarzman Centre for the Humanities on 25 April.

OCKS will serve as a global hub for research on Korea, bringing together work across the Humanities and Social Sciences, including language, culture, history, media, economics, politics, and the global impact of Hallyu. The Centre will support research, visiting scholars, teaching, and public engagement, responding to growing academic and student interest in Korea’s global presence.

Professor Jieun Kiaer of the University’s Faculty of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies, who will direct the Centre, said: “I am delighted that we are establishing Oxford University's first dedicated centre for Korean studies. OCKS will strengthen the University’s East Asian provision and position Oxford as a leading international centre for Korean studies. Korean film and music has already captured the imagination of global audiences in recent years and Korean studies is such a rich and fascinating field, so we hope the research coming out of the Centre will interest a wide audience.”

The Centre will begin operating in October of this year, with initial offices based at Wolfson College. Its website will be launched next month.