Mission

Located at the University of Vienna, the European Centre for North Korean Studies (ECNK) is a platform for scholars and researchers to pursue multidisciplinary, interdisciplinary, and comparative research on North Korea. 

We endeavor to help interested colleagues from within and outside Europe to accomplish the following goals:

  • Define and develop North Korean Studies as a field through research and collaboration.
  • Work with current and potential stakeholders.
  • Find, discuss, and improve data, sources, and methods.
  • Further institutionalize the field of North Korean studies. 

The ECNK will support these objectives through the following actions:

  • Hosting individual researchers or research groups who have acquired funding, or intend to do so, and need an institution through which to pursue their research projects on North Korea.
  • Building and supporting a network of researchers from the field of North Korean Studies or among those whose research involves a substantive focus on North Korea through non-resident fellowships and a Ph.D. Network.
  • Connecting European and non-European colleagues by hosting joint events, such as conferences and workshops.
  • Hosting North Korea-related databases.

To learn more about the motivation behind the ECNK and who we are, read our Background statement. You can submit a plan for collaboration at the Join Us page. 


 Most Recent Announcements

09.04.2026
 

[Call for Papers] SoKEN 2026 Conference at the University of Turku, Finland

Join us for the 9th Annual Conference of the Social Science Korean Studies Network in Europe on April 9 and 10, 2026.

27.11.2025
 

[Webinar] Understanding Chinese Elite Perceptions of North Korea

Join us for an ECNK Webinar on November 27 with Jinwan Park, Schwarzman Scholar at Tsinghua University.

24.11.2025
 

[Guest Lecture] The DPRK: Where Has It Come From and Where Is It Going?

Join us for a guest lecture on November 24 with Glyn Ford, former MEP (1984–2009) and Director of Track2Asia.

28.10.2025
 

A behind-the-scenes look by Joel S. Wit into why U.S. efforts to contain North Korea’s nuclear capabilities have not worked.

27.10.2025
 

[Guest Lecture] The Lee Jae Myung Government's Pragmatic Foreign Policy and Challenges Ahead

Join us for a guest lecture on October 27 with Moon Chung-in, a distinguished scholar and foreign policy advisor.

10.10.2025
 

[Article] Is North Korea a Strategic Cyber Threat to Europe?

In this article, Hans Horan analyses how North Korea has become an under-examined strategic cyber threat to Europe’s security and resilience.