The world has entered into an era of globalization. Radical political and socio-economic transformations, embedded in complex and far-reaching processes of globalization of the world economy are rapidly transforming or rendering obsolete traditional notions of national identity, national security, and international relations. The surprising extent of these transformations, driven by technological progress and forces of cultural and economic integration, reduces the distance between societies, which now impinge on one another across multiple dimensions. Simultaneously, religious, ethnic, nationalist and economic conflicts frequently erupt within and between societies, often in violent form. Growing interdependence among the world’s states, economies and societies, as well as the enduring divides within and between them, demand new and more sophisticated explanation: Societies simply can no longer be understood in isolation or at a particular point in time. Contemporary societies have entered into the era of boundless competition and focus on the logic of rivalry rather than on that of coexistence.

Korea University of International Studies (KUIS) is established in order to meet the dynamic changes in the world, and is tuned to the strategic needs of global development and the world peace. It has designed an integrated curriculum to allow students at the graduate levels to study cutting-edge international issues such as globalization, transnationalism, international political economy, global environmental challenges and the management of the global commons. KUIS acts for the advancement of education and research in the discipline of international relations and related fields such as peace and conflict resolution, religious fundamentalism, security threats, intercultural communications and area studies of Eurasia.

KUIS seeks to provide a professional education that simultaneously adheres to the highest standards of scholarship and takes a practical approach to training students for international leadership.



                              President of Korea University of International Studies