The year 2020 will go down in history as a major turning point in the lives of citizens around the world, caught up in the shock of COVID-19. As of January 2021, vaccines have been developed and vaccination has begun, but the pandemic continues to plague the world. In the face of these trying conditions, the European Union Studies Association of Korea (EUSA Korea) has steadfastly continued its research on economic integration within the EU and regional studies centered on political, economic, social and cultural issues in Europe. We have particularly focused on examining the progress of Brexit, Europe and EU within U.S.-China conflict, and changes in political and social situations of individual European countries.

Since its establishment in 1994, the EUSA-Korea has continued to expand its scope of activities, hosting expert seminars and conferences on current issues and international affairs. In 2003 the EUSA-Korea played a leading role in the establishment of the EU Studies Association of Asia-Pacific (EUSA AP), bringing together EU studies associations in over 10 nations within the Asia-Pacific region. Since 1996 we have been publishing the Korean Journal of EU Studies, a tri-annual journal accredited by the National Research Foundation of Korea, and overseen the publication of the Asia-Pacific Journal of EU Studies (APJEUS), the official international journal of the EUSA AP, for 19 years. Indexed by the Norwegian Register for Scientific Journals, Series and Publishers, the APJEUS is published twice a year in English and serves as an important channel for EU researchers in Europe and the Asia-Pacific to exchange their research findings and views.

The EUSA-Korea is a regular participant at the ECSA World Conference, hosted by the European Commission (EC) every other year. Our research activities and exchanges have enabled us to steadily cultivate our expertise in EU studies, and as a result in September 2018 the EUSA-Korea was selected as recipient of a three-year grant by the EC’s Jean Monnet Activities program. We will continue these activities this year as well.

In the year 2021 the EUSA-Korea will continue to build on its academic achievements up to now and broad networks in Korea and abroad. We will continue our grants program for new researchers in the field of EU studies, and are planning to host or co-host a total of four domestic and international conferences this year, including our regular symposium and fall seminar. Marking the 10th year of provisional implementation for the Korea-EU Free Trade Agreement, we will be conducting intensive research and discussions on the impact of the FTA. We will continue to lead dialogue on EU issues by actively supporting policy seminars and joint research among national research institutes, universities and academic societies, while serving as an active venue for debates between researchers with interest in the EU. The results of this discourse will then be published in our journal and made readily accessible to experts in related fields seeking useful information on European issues.

We will continue to expand our research network and academic exchanges by increasing cooperation with university centers for EU studies, public and private think tanks and institutional partners such as the EU Delegation to Korea. On the international side, we will actively participate at the EUSA Asia-Pacific Conference held this year in Melbourne, Australia, and renew our efforts for international cooperation.

The EUSA-Korea is working to expand its scope of research out from the social sciences of economics, politics or international relations, and out to the humanities, legal studies, arts and cultural studies as well. We warmly welcome all researchers interested in Europe or the EU, and eagerly look forward to participation by new researchers and students in the field. Our seminars are not closed events for members only, and stand open to researchers and students from other areas as well. We sincerely appreciate any and all forms of active participation by those wishing to share their knowledge and learn more about the European region and EU.

Thank you for your interest in the EUSA-Korea, and we look forward to seeing you at our events.

KIM Heungchong
President, EUSA-Korea