In 1963 the Educational Institute of Foreign Service Officers (EIFSO) was established by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for the purpose of training foreign service officers. In 1965 EIFSO was expanded to include a research unit on foreign affairs and renamed the Research Institute of Foreign Affairs (RIFA). To meet the growing need for comprehensive and systematic analysis of changing regional and global environments, RIFA was reorganized as IFANS in 1977, with the focus on its research function, IFANS was reorganized the present day KNDA  in 2012, Through several stages of expansion, KNDA has established itself as the largest research and training institution of its kind  in the nation, playing the role of think tank for foreign policy decision maker and birthplace for world-class diplomats.