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Irish Institute of Korean Studies (IIKS)

About the Irish Institute of Korean Studies

The Irish Institute of Korean Studies is led by Dr Kevin N. Cawley, Senior Lecturer in Korean Studies. He is the author of Religious and Philosophical Traditions of Korea (2019) and is an editor for Stanford University's Encyclopedia of Philosophy.

The objectives of the Irish Institute of Korean Studies are: 

- To teach the language, history, economics, politics, and culture of Korea in Ireland.

- To promote mutual understanding between the peoples of Ireland and Korea.

- To contribute to the teaching and research capacity of the School of Asian Studies at UCC.

- To facilitate staff and student exchange between UCC and other Irish universities, and partner institutions in Korea.

- To encourage and develop research areas of mutual interest and benefit to Ireland and Korea.

- To increase awareness of Korean society and culture among the general public in Ireland.

- To develop adult continuous education courses in the Korean language and other Korea-related topics.

- To facilitate co-operation and contact between Korean and Irish business and commerce.

News

08 Apr 2025

Korean Studies Student Success: Sarah Coughlan

  "I graduated from UCC in 2023 with a joint BA in Asian Studies and Politics. Thanks to my time as a student of Asian Studies at UCC, I was able to secure a position as an international sales assistant at The Quarto Group, a global illustrated book publishing group based in London. I have since become an international sales executive, covering Korea, Japan, and Hong Kong, where I work with numerous international distributors to ensure our books are sold effectively throughout these regions.  My background in Asian studies played a significant part in helping me secure this role as I was able to demonstrate a strong knowledge of the markets I would be selling to. Korean Studies was especially valuable to me as my deeper understanding of the culture, and history, and politics that continue to shape the Korean market set me apart from other interview candidates. Having spent a year studying in Korea through the study abroad programme, I was also able to stand out from others as I had experienced Korea not just from an academic perspective, but also from the perspective of daily life, which has helped me build strong relationships with our Korean customers."  
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13 Feb 2025

Dr Kevin Cawley's new book is out now

This new monograph is part of Bloomsbury's series on Religion, Gender and Sexuality: The Emplantation of Catholicism in Pre-Modern Korea: Texts, Teachings and Gender Relations.    Tracing the development of Catholic ideas in Japan and China during the late sixteenth and early seventeenth century, this book provides an overview of the evolution of the missionary strategy in East Asia while focusing on the early emplantation of Catholicism in Korea and the role of women who were often tortured and executed.
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16 May 2024

3nd JOINT CONFERENCE IN KOREAN STUDIES UCC-UNIBO

Dr Kevin Cawley, Director of the Irish Institute of Korean Studies at UCC, would like to congratulate the 9 students from Korean Studies at UCC who participated in the 3rd Joint Korean Studies Program at the University of Bologna (UNIBO) in May. The two-day event was co-organized by Dr. Kevin Cawley and hosted in Bologna by Dr. Marco Milani. It was fully funded (travel and accommodation for all students) by an award from the Academy of Korean Studies (AKS). We all want to express our gratitude to Dr. Mary Lou Emberti Gialloreti for her assistance in organizing the entire program and for taking care of us while we were there.   Students from Korean studies at UCC gave impressive presentations on a variety of topics, including gender and K-Media semiotics, linguistic differences and NK Refugees in SK, as well as student activism and anarchism in SK. We would also like to thank the students in Bologna for their fascinating papers that also covered many topics using different methodologies.   The program overview is provided below. (UCC-Bologna Program Activities).
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04 Mar 2024

NewsTalk Podcast: WHY DOES SOUTH KOREA HAVE THE LOWEST BIRTH RATE IN THE WORLD?:

Interview with Dr Kevin Cawley on Moncrieff
Read on newstalk.com

Department of Asian Studies

Staidéar Áiseach

3rd Floor, O'Rahilly Building, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland.

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