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

20.04.2026
 

[Guest Lecture] Humanitarian Aid for North Korea: Past Engagements, Present Challenges

Join us for a guest lecture April 20 with Katharina Zellweger, senior aid programme manager and director of KorAid Limited.

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.

16.03.2026
 

[Report] North Korea's Succession Question: The Future of the Kim Dynasty

On Peninsula Dispatch, Gabriela Bernal examines the recent interest in the supposed status of Kim Jong Un's daughter as a possible successor.

04.03.2026
 

[Policy Brief] Dark Fleets as Hybrid Maritime Threats: Sanctions Evasion, Proxy Force, and the Emerging Militia-at-Sea Problem

James JB Park argues that dark fleets are rapidly evolving into a hybrid maritime force that blurs the line between civilian and military actors.

21.02.2026
 

[Article] USFK Aerial Encounter With China Underlines the Hidden Danger of OPCON Transfer

Structural separation inadvertently reduces alliance accountability at precisely the moment when regional great power rivalry is intensifying.

26.01.2026
 

[Article] Assessing the Impact of the US’ New Foreign Policy Approach on North Korea’s Arms Trafficking Activity

At 38 North, Hans Horan examines the US’ new “America First” foreign policy posture and implications for North Korea.