Welcome!

The Eastern European and Balkan Institute of Hankuk University of Foreign Studies is the only research institute in South Korea, and it has been seeking ways to enhance the relationship between Korea and the Eastern European Balkan region since 1990.

 As a part of the Korean ‘Nordpolitik’, the College of Eastern European had been established in 1987, aiming education for the strategic regions in Eastern Europe. Polish, Romanian, and Yugoslavian (now Serbo-Croat) departments were the first ones to be established in 1987 to 1988, and then Czech-Slovak, Hungarian, Bulgarian, and Ukrainian followed. Thereby, the Institute was founded based on such specialized education, fostering leading figures in politics, diplomatic, economic and cultural exchanges between South Korea and Eastern Europe. With this, we are proud of our role that has been promoting relations between the two regions.

The eastern European region, a strategic connecting point between Asia and Europe, is an economic and geopolitical centre within the rapidly changing circumstances of the 21st century and is considered to be in a leading position of emerging markets. The Institute is going to deepen its research in various fields that have been carried out for many years, introducing industrial technologies and intellectual properties (such as IT, military weapons, aerospace, electronics, automobiles, food processing, arts, culture, tourism, architecture) that are not well known in Korea. We expect this to enable our government to create added value and national interest.

We look forward to active participation and cooperation and hope that the Institute to receive worldwide recognition.

Thank you.

Kim Jeong-hwan,
Director of Eastern European and Balkan Institute