KF Application Portal

Reg. Date2025-07-01
Application Period 07-01-2025 00:00:00~09-01-2025 18:00:59

2026 KF Fellowship for Field Research

Since 1992, the Korea Foundation has offered an annual fellowship program for field research on Korea-related topics. In accordance with the guidelines listed below, the KF is currently accepting applications for its 2026 Field Research Fellowship program.

Program Outline

In order to promote Korean studies research by scholars at universities or research institutes outside Korea, the KF offers support via its Fellowship for Field Research program, which provides Korean studies scholars and experts in relevant fields with the opportunity to conduct on-site field research in Korea, and access to relevant resource materials.

Number of Selected Fellows

Approximately 25 per year

Eligible Applicants

Scholars outside of Korea who are conducting comparative or case studies in (a) the field of Korean studies or (b) in Korea-related areas in the fields of the humanities or social sciences, or who are focusing on (c) research topics that are closely related to Korea and recognized as important new areas of study, and fall under one of the following Type A or Type B criteria.

Details of Program Support

Applicants	Type A	Type B
Qualifications	- Doctoral candidates who have completed their required coursework and are in the process of writing their doctoral dissertation	- Full-time lecturers or higher-level university faculty (including assistant, associate, or full professors) - PhD holders currently engaged in research or professional fields
Monthly Stipend	KRW 2,300,000	KRW 3,000,000
Miscellaneous Support	① Travel insurance coverage ② Support for entry expenses (one-time payment): - Doctoral candidate: KRW 500,000 - PhD holder: KRW 1,000,000 - Tenured associate or full professor: KRW 1,500,000 Note: Successful applicants who fall under more than one of these categories will be provided with the higher amount of support for which they are eligible. ③ Round-trip airfare (shortest distance economy flight): Provided only to fellows whose country of residence is included on the Development Assistance Committee (DAC) list of ODA Recipients on the official OECD website as of this program's application submission deadline (e.g., least-developed countries, other low-income countries, and lower-middle income countries). Fellows from upper-middle income countries are ineligible for airfare support.

Program Schedule

1. Application Period: Tuesday, July 1 to Monday, September 1, 2025 (6:00 p.m.) (Korea Standard Time)

Please note: As system errors may occur at the end of the application period due to traffic overload, please submit your application as early as possible. If you cannot submit your application by the due date, the KF cannot guarantee that it will be accepted. This applies even if your late submission is caused by a system error. Likewise, please be aware that the deadline for reference submissions is 6:00 p.m. KST on September 8, 2025. After that time, letters of reference can no longer be submitted.

2. Notification of Results: December 2025

3. Fellowship Period: Field research should take place between January 1 and December 31, 2026

Duration: 1 month (minimum) to 6 months (maximum)

Please note: The start date of the fellowship period should be no later than November 30, 2026.

Required Documents

Applicant Type

Documents to be Submitted

Type A

1. Application form

2. Curriculum vitae (including the applicant’s signature)

3. Research proposal (free format, 5–10 pages)

4. Proposal for cooperative research with a Korean scholar

- Written by the Korean scholar, submitted by the applicant

- Please include the Korean scholar’s signature.

5. Two letters of reference

① Head of the applicant’s institution (university president, dean, department chair, institute director, etc.)

② Dissertation supervisor in applicant’s country of residence

6. Evidence of current employment or enrollment (official letter or certificate)

7. Graduate school transcripts (MA & PhD)

8. Copy of the most recently obtained academic degree

9. Certificate of coursework completion (official letter written by department head or supervisor)

Type B

1. Application form

2. Curriculum vitae (including the applicant’s signature)

3. Research proposal (free format, 5–10 pages)

4. Proposal for cooperative research with a Korean scholar

- Written by the Korean scholar, submitted by the applicant.

- Please include the Korean scholar’s signature.

5. Two letters of reference

① Head of the applicant’s institution (university president, dean, department chair, institute director)

② An individual capable of evaluating the applicant's research proposal (expert or professor in the applicant's country of residence)

6. Copy of the most recently obtained academic degree

7. Evidence of current employment (official letter or certificate)

1. Obligation to Submit Research Outcomes

Obligations of Fellows

Type	Obligations
A	All fellows are required to submit a final report on their research (in accordance with the KF’s standard report form) two weeks before the end of the fellowship period.	Doctoral candidate (Type A) fellows must make efforts to submit their doctoral dissertation and obtain their doctorate within two years after the end of the fellowship period. Upon acquiring their doctorate, they must submit their doctoral dissertation to the KF.
B		Faculty member (Type B) fellows are encouraged to publish an article in an A&HCI/SSCI/SCOPUS journal or an academic journal registered with their respective country’s ministry of education within two years after the end of the fellowship period, or publish a book within three years after the end of the fellowship period. Any such published articles or books must be submitted to the KF.

※ Research outcomes must clearly acknowledge the support of the Korea Foundation (KF).

※ The KF may make Fellows' research outcomes publicly available on the KF website.

2. Obligation to Report Achievements

The KF monitors research progress annually for three years following the conclusion of the fellowship period. Fellows who do not fulfill the obligation of reporting this progress and achievements to the KF may not be eligible for future KF support.

How to

Apply

All applications must be submitted via the KF Online Application Portal.

(http://apply.kf.or.kr)

Important Reminders

1. Applicants must be able to conduct their research in Korean or English.

2. For Korean nationals, only those who have acquired citizenship or permanent residency status in a country outside Korea are eligible to apply.

3. One PDF file may be uploaded per attachment category.

4. Only scanned files (in PDF format) are valid. Image files will not be accepted as part of an application.

5. The application form and all documents must be submitted in English or Korean. If documents are submitted in other languages, please submit both the original file and a verbatim translation.

6. Individuals in the following circumstances are ineligible for consideration:

① Applicants receiving consecutive support immediately after academic or research activities in Korea

② Applicants who received support through the KF Field Research Fellowship program or research grants for field research from other Korean public organizations within the past three years

7. The fellowship period approved by the KF’s review committee may differ from applicants’ proposed schedule.

8. Accommodations and research facilities should be arranged by the fellows in cooperation with their affiliated research institute. The KF does not provide any accommodation.

9. Applicants must have an affiliate scholar and host institution in Korea. The KF does not provide any recommendations or information regarding potential affiliate scholars or institutions.

10. During the fellowship period, fellows may not receive concurrent support from other organizations in Korea. Should it become known that a fellow is receiving concurrent support, the KF’s support will be canceled immediately.

11. Letters of Reference: The KF does not accept letters of reference submitted by applicants themselves. When an applicant presses the “send” button on their application, a link will be sent to their referees, via which they can download the reference form and upload the completed version. This is the only means by which letters of reference may be submitted to the KF.

12. All personal information contained in the application form will be used only for the purposes of this program. By submitting your application, you agree to the collection of your personal information by the KF.

13. The date of the notification of results is subject to change without prior notice.

Further Inquiries

KF Help Desk

Email: tech-support@kf.or.kr

For questions regarding the online application system or any system errors, please select “Help Desk” from the top menu on the KF Online Application Portal, or contact tech-support@kf.or.kr.

Program Inquiries: fellow@kf.or.kr

Please note: The KF does not answer questions via phone. Please read the instructions and attached FAQ carefully before applying.

Posted on July 1, 2025

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