The Future of Korean Research from a Nordic Perspective

Street signs with South Korea and Sweden
Special Paper March, 2025

The Nordic countries are long-standing partners to South Korea, engaging in dialogue and collaborating on regional and global concerns since 1959. Despite a long history of state-level cooperation, the Nordic public’s knowledge of Korean affairs remains comparatively low when compared to other regional powers in East Asia, particularly China and Japan. However, during the last decade, there has been a noticeable increase in societal interest in South Korea throughout the Nordic region. Nonetheless, the present structures for information and knowledge exchanges on Korean issues within the Nordic region are insufficient and appear obsolete in dealing with 21st-century challenges, ranging from increasing awareness of regional security interdependence and shared values to promoting common business opportunities and cultural exchanges.

To this end, the ISDP Korea Center, conducts the Nordic-Korea Next Generation Policy Expert Program with generous support from the Korea Foundation. The Program aims to strengthen cooperative relationships between South Korea and the Nordic region, as well as to serve as an energizing incubator for the next generation of Korean policy experts, by providing young scholars with a forum to discuss their research with senior Nordic and South Korean colleagues, as well as practical hands-on experience with policy-related work.

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