2025 Joint Academic Conference

- Hosted by the Institute for Unification Stepping Stone, the Future Society Strategy Research Institute, and the Korean Association for Unification Education

- Scheduled for July 26^th(Sat), 2:00 PM, at Building B, Room 205

The Institute for Unification Stepping Stone and the Future Society Strategy Research Institute, together with the Korean Association for Unification Education, will host the “2025 Joint Academic Conference” on July 26^th(Sat), at 2:00 PM in Building B, Room 205.

With the inauguration of a new government in June 2025, new directions are being sought for the government’s unification and North Korea policies. Along with this, the orientation, content, and tasks of unification education are also undergoing changes. Accordingly, this joint academic conference, under the main theme “Exploring the Directions of Government’s Unification and North Korea Policies and Unification Education”, will provide an in-depth discussion on the changing unification policy environment after the new government’s launch, as well as the new directions and tasks for unification and North Korea policies and unification education.

The first session, chaired by Professor Moon Sang Kyun, will be held under the theme “Directions of Unification and North Korea Policies and the Transformation of Unification Education.” Presentations include: “Building a Cooperation Platform for North Korean Defectors and Displaced Persons” by Professor Lee Ji Young, “Government’s Unification and North Korea Policy Directions and the Restructuring of Inter-Korean Relations” by Professor Cha Moon Seok, “The Global Citizenship Transition of Unification Education” by Professor Jung Jin Heon of National Institute for Unification Education

The second session, chaired by Professor Kwon Sung Ah (Korean Association for Unification Education), will be held under the theme “Directions and Tasks of the Government’s Unification Education.” Presentations include: “Directions and Tasks of University-level Unification Education by Professor Lim Sang Soon, Pyeongtaek University, “Directions and Tasks of School-level Unification Education” by Professor Kim Byung Yeon, Gongju National University of Education, “Directions and Tasks of Social Unification Education” by Doctor Cha Seung Joo, Institute for Unification of Gangwon, Kangwon National University

This joint academic conference has been organized by the university and the Korean Association for Unification Education as a meaningful venue to establish a new framework for unification and North Korea policies and unification education amid the rapidly changing domestic and international situation following the launch of the new government. Experts from universities, academic associations, the National Institute for Unification Education, and research institutes will gather to seek both academic insights and policy solutions. Moreover, by presenting practical tasks in the fields of school, university, and social unification education, the conference aims to expand the real-world applications of unification education.

Meanwhile, in response to the rapidly changing international order in Northeast Asia, our university reorganized its Department of Unification, Security, and North Korea Studies in 2024 to cultivate professionals capable of analyzing unification, security, inter-Korean relations, and North Korea issues, and responding proactively. After graduation, students can pursue careers in government ministries such as the Ministry of National Defense and the Ministry of Unification, public institutions such as the North Korean Refugees Foundation, the Korea Institute for National Unification, and the Korea Institute for Defense Analyses, as well as in various related organizations as inter-Korean exchange and cooperation officers, social adaptation mentors for North Korean defectors, and settlement assistants. They may also continue their studies at graduate schools specializing in unification, security, and North Korea studies.