The IFANS(Institute of Foreign Affairs and National Security) has five Departments and two Centers, and consists of full-time professors, visiting professors and researchers as well as administrative staffs. The Institute is dedicated to developing mid-to-long term foreign policy visions through participation in academic exchanges, public diplomacy, training and researches, and production of publications. Also, it continues to strengthen cooperation with the major academic institutes in Korea and abroad.
※IFANS Website(http://www.ifans.go.kr/knda/ifans/eng/main/IfansEngMain.do) - Click here
Academic Exchanges
IFANS hosts international conferences on a regular basis with its neighboring countries including the United States, Japan,
China and Russia in order to raise public awareness and understanding on issues concerning the Korean peninsula, create political consensus on them and to establish global academic network. Since 2010, IFANS has been hosting the Conference
on Global Affairs which gathers experts from political, government and academic circles to engage in in-depth discussions on the pending issues. Also, through concluding Memorandums of Understanding with domestic and overseas universities
and research institutes, IFANS strives to promote academic cooperation and hold academic exchanges on a regular basis.
Public Diplomacy
IFANS helps the general public and foreigners to better understand the Korean government’s foreign policies by hosting
frequent meetings with the diplomatic corps in Korea, members of the major foreign institutes and journalists. It also aims to
facilitate formation of political communities in Korea through biannual news briefings and seminars on the ROK-U.S. alliance,
and experts’ meetings dealing with issues on North Korea and Northeast Asia.
Research Activities
IFANS conducts research on regional affairs in Southeast Asia, Europe and the Middle East as well as the United States,
Japan, China and Russia. The findings are shared through the weekly seminar analyzing the major international issues and
the monthly workshop for experts by the Center for Chinese Studies. The research serves to help examine the current issues and develop mid-to-long term policy proposals.
Publications
IFANS publishes its research outcomes in various formats to help raise people’s understanding on the international issues
and secure public support on the government policies. Readers are able to access the publications on printed and
online versions.
- Department of National Security and Unification Studies
- Issues related to North Korea, including its nuclear program and human rights issues, threaten not only relations between the two Koreas but also regional and global security. This department supports the Korean
government’s diplomatic efforts to resolve the North Korean issue by studying the Korean peninsula-related
issues such as North Korea in general and the unification of the two Koreas. It also explores measures to realize Korea’s unification and strengthen peace and security in Northeast Asia by conducting research on nuclear
security and disarmament, the key to addressing the fundamental issue on the Korean peninsula.
- Department of Asian and Pacific Studies
- The Asia-Pacific region, and the East Asian region, especially, is of great geopolitical importance when it comes to the foreign policies of the Korean government. Recently, as the region emerges as the center of the
international community, the related agenda are also growing more diverse. This department explores ways for
Asia-Pacific countries to promote consistent and practical intra-regional cooperation by examining relations with the major countries in Southeast Asia, Southwest Asia and Oceania, along with China and Japan. It also studies intra-regional cooperative bodies such as ASEAN, ASEAN+3, EAS, APEC, and cooperation among the ROK, China and Japan.
- Department of American Studies
- The U.S. foreign policies and military strategies exercise great influence at both the regional and international
level. Especially, the U.S.’ implementation of its foreign policies toward the Asia-Pacific region based on the
network of alliances formed with the ROK, Japan and Australia, and the subsequent responses by the major
countries such as China and Russia play an important role in shifting not only the regional, but also the
international order. The U.S. foreign policy directions continue to represent an important variable with regard to
security on the Korean peninsula such as the ROK-U.S. relations and the North Korean nuclear issue. In this
context, the Department of American Studies provides analyses on the ROK-U.S. alliance, U.S. foreign policy,
U.S. military strategies and relations between the United States and other countries.
- Department of European and African Studies
- The Department of European and African Studies covers a vast region stretching from Europe, Africa and the
- Middle East to Russia and Central Asia. With the recent European financial crisis, the future of the euro zone is
- of great concern to the rest of the international community. Meanwhile, African countries have been emerging as important partners in sustainable growth. In addition, dynamics in the Middle East prompted by the Arab Spring
- and the Iranian nuclear program, and the future of Russia after Putin’s return to presidency have become topics
- of major interest. In this regard, the Department examines the current issues and provides mid-to-long term
- policy alternatives for the Korean government.
- Department of International Economy and Trade Studies
- With the deepening globalization and informatization, interdependency between countries is growing and the
- global economic integration is being accelerated. Also, the spread of multilateral WTO/DDA negotiations
- combined with the expansion of regionalism call for market opening and restructuring of industrial structures. In
- the meantime, the BRICS, consisting of China, India, Brazil, Russia and South Africa, is emerging as a strong axis of the global economy. In response to the changes in the world economic and trade environment, the Department provides research analyses on international economy, trade and finance-related issues in bilateral and
- multilateral settings, international organizations in general, and the economy and trade-related new security
- issues of the 21st century including energy resources, environment and climate change.