The Korea Foundation

The KF provides financial support for the creation of new professorships in the fields of Korean studies and Korean language at universities abroad that are equipped with the necessary infrastructure to maintain an adequate level of Korean studies research and education and have future growth potential. Under this program, the KF funds the establishment of two types of professorships: (1) tenure-track positions, which recipient universities shall continuously maintain from their own resources after the termination of the KF’s initial support, and (2) endowed chair positions, which are financed through an endowment fund jointly created by the KF and recipient universities.

Universities abroad that plan to create new professorships in Korean studies/Korean language

Korean studies and Korean language

1. Tenure-Track Position (TTP): The KF provides up to 70% of the total amount of the salary* and employee benefits** for the TTP professor of Korean studies/Korean language to be hired by the support recipient university.

* Salary: the hired professor’s salary in accordance with the existing professor salary table of the support recipient university.

** Employee benefits: the non-wage payments, such as fringe benefits and social welfare expenses, that an employer is required to pay to his/her employees according to the laws and regulations of the state or country to which the support recipient university belongs.

2. Endowed Chair Position: The KF provides an endowment on an annual basis during the grant period for the new establishment of a permanent professorship in Korean studies/Korean language, on the condition that the support recipient university provides a matching fund contribution of 50% on a dollar-for-dollar basis.

Three to five years

This program aims to support universities that will fund and continuously maintain a newly established Korean studies professorship from its own resources after the conclusion of the KF’s support, or through a jointly created endowment fund. In addition, the universities should ensure that the holder of the professorship will be appointed and promoted through a thorough and fair review of his/her qualifications and accomplishments in accordance with the university’s procedures for appointment, promotion, and tenure for faculty members.

※ Please refer to “Important Reminders” below

1. Application Period: July 1 to September 11, 2026
(Deadline: September 11, 18:00 KST)

2. Notification of Results: December 2026

3. The grant period will commence either in the 2027-28 or 2028-29 academic year.

1. Online application

※ Information about current status of Korean studies of the applicant institution (including existing faculty members, courses, library collections, and academic activities in Korean studies/Korean language at the university) is required.

2. Supplementary materials (to be uploaded with the online application)

• ① Curriculum for B.A./M.A. in Korean studies (and/or Korean language) degree programs (Only applicable if the university offers degree programs in Korean studies or Korean Language)
• ② Information about the university’s salary scale for professors
• ③ Curriculum vitae of the professor to be hired (only if the university has a concrete candidate in mind at the time of application)
• ④ Curriculum vitae of the project director
• ⑤ Letter from Dean of the faculty that plans to establish the professorship in Korean studies

All required documents must be submitted in Korean or English via the KF Online Application System (http://apply.kf.or.kr).

※ Click on the “Apply” button at the bottom of this program announcement and complete the online application form.

1. Is the plan well-organized enough to achieve its stated objective? Is the applicant institution committed to fostering the development of the Korean studies or Korean language program? Does the applicant institution have a long-term plan for enhancing education/research on Korean studies or Korean language at the university?

2. Considering the applicant institution's reputation and its prior accomplishments/experience in the field of Korean studies, how adequate is the applicant institution’s ability to implement the program?

3. How sound and specifically-written is the budget plan? Is there a matching fund effort for the program?

4. How feasible are the expected outcomes/goals, and to what extent will the program contribute to the regional diversification of Korean studies?

1. Cancellation of Support:The KF can cancel its decision of support if the KF and the support recipient university cannot conclude an agreement.

2. Eligibility Requirements for the Appointee to a Korean Studies Professorship:

• ① Focus on Korea in more than 50% of his/her research and teaching activities, and conduct such research using primary sources published in the Korean language.
• ② Publish the findings of such research in the English language, and possibly in the Korean language.
• ③ Be proficient in the Korean language.

3. Notification of Changes to the Project: An applicant institution must promptly notify the KF of any changes, including postponement and/or cancellation, on the project plan submitted at the time of application.

4. Revision of the Project Plan: The KF, when deemed necessary, may request an applicant institution to revise its project plan or to supplement it with new elements.

5. Disbursement of the Grant: Before grant funds are made available to the selected applicant institution, the KF and the support recipient university enter into a grant agreement that includes the details of the project and the budget, which are determined through mutual discussion between the two parties. The KF’s salary and benefit support for a TTP position will be made after the conclusion of a grant agreement and the support recipient university’s employment of a qualified candidate for the position.

6. Submission of Report: Support recipient universities are required to submit their annual project report to the KF during the term of the agreement. The report must be accompanied by a financial statement drafted and signed by the support recipient university’s accounting officer. A KF report form will be provided.

• Regarding the Program: studies@kf.or.kr

• Regarding the KF Online Application System: tech-support@kf.or.kr