The U.S.-Korea Institute (USKI) at SAIS is part of an extensive program which began in 2006 to make the Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS), Johns Hopkins University, a hub of Korea-related activities in the Washington, DC area, and to increase information and understanding of Korea and Korean affairs in the United States in general.
Chaired by Don Oberdorfer, former Washington Post correspondent and author of The Two Koreas, USKI works to engage those interested in the Korean peninsula on a variety of levels.
As an independent research institute, USKI publishes innovative research on a broad range of topics related to Korea, inter-Korean affairs, Korean regional relations, and U.S.-Korea relations.
USKI’s mission also contains an educational component. As such, USKI sponsors the Korea Studies Program at SAIS – a Master’s level concentration in Korean policy studies – to help inspire and prepare young professionals for careers in Korean affairs. In just a few short years, this concentration has become the second largest regional concentration for Master’s student at SAIS and continues to grow each year.
USKI also reaches out to the community at large, hosting regular public events on political, economic, social and cultural aspects of Korean affairs. These events target various audiences ranging from students, scholars, policymakers, business leaders and NGOs, to provide a forum for learning and dialogue. In addition, USKI hosts a number of closed-door meetings to promote constructive interaction with policymakers on issues related to the Korean peninsula.
USKI support comes from the Korea Institute for International Economic Policy (KIEP), the Korea Foundation and private Korean and American donors.
USKI takes no stands on political or policy issues, but seeks to encourage the broadest possible dialogue about the Korean peninsula.
