About
The Global Korea Research Hub is about increasing stability, security, literacy and careers between Australia and South Korea, and the Asia-Pacific region.
We aim to produce world-class Korea-related research in the fields of Humanities, Social Sciences, Education, Business, and Engineering.
We also aim to become the central venue for Korea-related engagement by fostering collaboration right across the University of Melbourne.
Republic of Korea – University of Melbourne engagement at a glance
16
16
354
353
31
52%
298
72
-
Most popular courses studied by students from Republic of Korea (2011 - 2023)
- Bachelor of Science
- Bachelor of Commerce
- Bachelor of Arts
Top institutions for research collaboration
- Seoul National University
- Yonsel University
- Hanyang University
- Sejong University
- Konkuk University
Top fields of research collaboration with institutions in Republic of Korea
- Medicine
- Engineering
- Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology
- Environmental Science
- Computer Science
News and events
Research
The Global Korea Research Hub has four main research goals:
1. Research Korea in the world in regionally leading and interdisciplinary ways
This will address past and contemporary issues related to Korea and Australia, such as the roles of North Korea and South Korea in North-East Asia, Korean migration, and educational policies related to the Korean language in the Australian context.
2. Develop intercultural understanding through public engagement
This will increase intercultural understanding of Korea in Australia and vice-versa, both within and outside academia. This goal will be achieved through the organisation of academic events such as seminar series, public lectures, and conferences open to the general public. Such events will be also open to our students.
3. Foster the next generation of Koreanists
This will increase Australia’s capabilities to engage with Korea by training future Korea-experts (i.e. “Koreanists”). This goal will be achieved primarily by promoting PhD candidates’ interaction with the activities of Global Korea.
4. Become an international hub for Korean Studies research by attracting international scholars
This will foster academic exchanges between the University of Melbourne and South Korean universities by nurturing and building collaborations with Korean scholars. This goal will be achieved by promoting visiting fellowships and projects with international partners.
Our people
Dr Nicola Fraschini
Dr Nicola Fraschini is the Director of the Global Korea Research Hub and a Senior Lecturer in Korean Studies. His research interests are teachers’ and learners’ individual differences in Korean language education and Q methodology.
nicola.fraschini@unimelb.edu.au +613 8344 7685Dr Jonathan Glade
Jonathan Glade is a Lecturer in Japanese Studies whose research explores intersections between Korean and Japanese culture.
jon.glade@unimelb.edu.auDr Edward Goldring
Dr Edward Goldring is a Lecturer in Political Science. His research examines North Korea and comparative autocracy.
edward.goldring@unimelb.edu.au +61390353515Dr Alexander Mitchell Hynd
Dr Alexander M. Hynd researches and teaches Korean politics and international relations. As a political scientist working in the sub-fields of International Relations, International Political Economy and Korean Studies, his research interests include South Korean foreign policy, international hierarchies, middle power and secondary state identities and behaviour, green energy statecraft, nuclear non-proliferation and disarmament, and Indo-Pacific affairs.
alexander.mhynd@unimelb.edu.auDr Sin Ji Jung
Dr Sin Ji Jung is the representative for the theme Teach and Learn Korea and a Lecturer in Korean Studies at the Asia Institute. Her research focuses on heritage language acquisition and bilingualism.
sinji.jung@unimelb.edu.auDr Haeun Kim
Haeun (Hannah) Kim is a Lecturer in Applied Linguistics in the School of Languages and Linguistics. Her research focuses on applying technology to second language learning, teaching, and assessment.
haeun.hannah.kim@unimelb.edu.auProf Hyun Jin Kim
Prof Hyun Jin Kim took his D Phil in Classics from the University of Oxford. He is currently a Professor of Classics and a Fellow of the Australian Academy of the Humanities. He is the author of nine books.
kim.h@unimelb.edu.au +61390357461Dr Jihye Kim
Jihye Kim is a Lecturer in Korean Studies at the University of Melbourne. A specialist in the migration and settlement experiences of diasporic Koreans, Jihye has published numerous articles on Korean migrant communities in Latin America and Europe. Her current research focuses on the Korean migrant community and its contribution to cultural diversity in Australia, with particular emphasis on Korean restaurant businesses, a project funded by the Academy of Korean Studies.
jihye.kim@unimelb.edu.auProf Maria Rost Rublee
Prof Maria Rost Rublee is Professor of International Relations. As Chair of the International Security Studies Section of the International Studies Association, Maria created the ISSS Taskforce on Diversity in Security Studies.
maria.rublee@unimelb.edu.au +61390353504Prof Dongryeol Ryu
Prof Ryu is the representative for the theme Future Korea. Prof Ryu is the Head of the Environmental Hydrology and Water Resources at the University of Melbourne. He is an internationally recognised expert in hydrological remote sensing.
dryu@unimelb.edu.au +61383447115
Dr Sangsoo Shin
Dr Sangsoo Shin is a postdoctoral research fellow at the Melbourne School of Population and Global Health (MSPGH) and an epidemiologist with research interests in suicide prevention and the social determinants of health.
sangsoo.shin@unimelb.edu.auDr Alex Seo
Dr Alex Seo is a Lecturer in Architectural History, Theory, and Design at the Faculty of Architecture, Building, and Planning, and an Affiliated Researcher at the Centre for Urban Conflicts Research at the University of Cambridge.
alex.seo@unimelb.edu.auDr Adam Zulawnik
Dr Adam Zulawnik is Lecturer at the Asia Institute, where he specialises in the Korean and Japanese languages. His research focuses on the function of language in society and politics as seen through translation.
adam.zulawnik@unimelb.edu.au
Publications
-
Ahn, Yonson & Kim, Jihye (2025) Korean Migration and Mobility in the Global South. New York: Lexington.
Fraschini, N., & Kiaer, J. (eds) (2025). Innovative methods in Korean language teaching. Routledge.
Fraschini, N., Lundberg, A. & Aliani, R. (eds) (2024). Advancing language research through Q methodology. Multilingual Matters.
Kinder, J., Fraschini, N., & Caruso, M. (eds) (2024). Enabling learning: Language teaching for Australian universities. ANU Press.
Fraschini, N. & Kim, H. (2023) Mission Accomplished: Korean 2. Hawoo.
Ahn, Yonson & Kim, Jihye (2023) Cross-border Interactions and Encounters between Germany and Korea. New York: Lexington.
Cha, H. and Kim, H.J. (2022) South Korea’s Origins and Early Relations with the United States: The Lynchpin of Hegemonic Power. Routledge.
Kim, S., Yoon, E., & Yoo, D. (2022). 대학원생 때 알았더라면 좋았을 것들 2 [Things I wish I had known as a postgrad student 2]. Cloud Nine
-
Fraschini, N., Cho, H., Kim, H. (2024) Report on fostering the provision of Korean language education in Victoria. Zenodo.
-
Kim, Jihye (2025) Ethnicity and Informality: Employment Practices in Korean Wholesale Shops in the Argentine Garment Industry, Korea Journal, 65(1), 1–28.
Kim, Jihye (2025) Immigrant Entrepreneurship and Ethnic Resources: The Korean Garment Business in Argentina 1965-2024, in Korean Migration and Mobility in the Global South. New York: Lexington.
박현진, 프라스키니 니콜라(2025). Q 방법론을 활용한 한국어 교사 감정의 복잡성과 역동성 분석 사례 연구. 한국어교육, 36(1), 139-163. [Park, H., and Fraschini, N. (2025). A Q methodology multiple single-case study on the dynamics and complexities of Korean language teacher emotions. Journal of Korean Language Education, 36(1), 139–163
Hynd, A. (2025). ‘Dirty, Dangerous and Difficult? Regional Perspectives on a Nuclear South Korea’, Journal of Asian Security and International Affairs 12 (1), 54-80.
Fraschini, N. & Tao, Y. (2025). Excitement and confusion: An emotion-based approach to Korean language teaching. In N. Fraschini & J. Kiaer (eds), Innovative methods in Korean language teaching (pp. 133–150). Routledge.
Sinyor, M., Shin, S., Lee, J., Stack, S., Men, V. Y., & Niederkrotenthaler, T. (2025). Suicide rates in South Korea and internationally following release of the Netflix series ‘Squid Game’. Social Science & Medicine, 371, 117934.
Shin, S., Pirkis, J., Spittal, M. J., Too, L. S., & Clapperton, A. (2025). Change in incidents of suicidal acts after intervention on a bridge in South Korea. Social psychiatry and psychiatric epidemiology, 60(3), 685-691.
Fraschini, N. (2024). At the crossroad between community and additional language: The case of the Korean language education in Australia. The Review of Korean Studies, 27(2), 312–327.
Fraschini, N., Elfving-Hwang, J. & Tao, Y. (2024). Korean language education in Western Australia: Development and challenges. In J. Kinder, N. Fraschini, & M. Caruso (eds.), Enabling learning: Language teaching for Australian universities (pp. 63–91). ANU Press.
Fraschini, N. & Gonzales, A. (2024). Administrative and pedagogical considerations for collaborative online Korean courses. In J. Kinder, N. Fraschini, & M. Caruso (eds.), Enabling learning: Language teaching for Australian universities (pp. 157–176). ANU Press.
Fraschini, N. & Lundberg, A. (2024) Australian-Korean multicultural family members’ emotions about their family language policy. In N. Fraschini, A. Lundberg & R. Aliani (eds.), Advancing language research through Q methodology (pp. 83–101). Multilingual Matters.
Fraschini, N., Lundberg, A., & Aliani, R. (2024) Q Methodology, Subjectivity and Language Research. In N. Fraschini, A. Lundberg & R. Aliani (eds.), Advancing language research through Q methodology (pp. 1–21). Multilingual Matters.
Caruso, M. & Fraschini, N. (2024) Vision and motivation of adolescent language learners in Australia. In N. Fraschini, A. Lundberg & R. Aliani (eds.), Advancing language research through Q methodology (pp. 44–62). Multilingual Matters.
Fraschini, N. & Park, M. Y. (2024). Introduction: The linguistic challenges facing and increasingly diverse Korea. Melbourne Asia Review 20.
Jung, S. J. (2024). Can Korean speakers in remote areas of Australia retain their language? Melbourne Asia Review 20.
Zulawnik, A. (2024). Hanguk or Joseon? ROK vs DPRK and the complex nature of reference to ‘Korea’. Melbourne Asia Review 20.
Kim, S. (2024). 저절로 입혀지는 아이언맨 슈트 가능케 하는 '나노로봇' [‘Nanorobots’ enable self-dressing Iron Man suits]. Dong-A Science.
Song, J., Yoon, B., Kim S. & Zulawnik, A. (2024) Everyday Bribery in North Korea as Moral Economy, Communist and Post-Communist Studies. Communist and Post-communist Studies, 57(2), 92–111.
Goldring, E. & Ward, P. (2024) Elite Management Before Autocratic Leader Succession: Evidence from North Korea. World Politics. 76(3): 417-456.
Zulawnik, A. (Trans.) & Kim, S. (Ed.) (2024) <페미니스트>: “여자에게 친절한 남자” – 대한민국 언어 개정에 대한 시민단체의 활동 [‘Feminist-A man who is kind to women’: Civil society’s involvement in language reform in South Korea]. Melbourne Asia Review.
Glade J. (2024). Colonial Hero: Son Kijŏng in Narratives of Popular and National Korean History. Asian Studies Review, 48(2): 389–409.
Hynd, A., M. Broad & W. Kharisma. (2023). ‘Indonesia-South Korea at 50: One Step Further for the Special Strategic Partnership?’, Policy Paper, Centre for Strategic and International
Shin, S., Pirkis, J., Clapperton, A., Spittal, M., & San Too, L. (2024). Effectiveness of partial restriction of access to means in jumping suicide: lessons from four bridges in three countries. Epidemiology and Psychiatric Sciences, 33, e38.
Kim S., Fraschini, N., & Park, H. (2023) Defining competencies for training non-native Korean speaking teachers: A Q methodology approach. International Review of Applied Linguistics in Language Teaching.
Goldring, E. & Matthews, A. S. (2023) Brothers in Arms No Longer: Who Do Regime Change Coup-entry Dictators Purge? Journal of Conflict Resolution: 1-28.
Jung, S. J. (2023) Language shift and maintenance of the Korean community in Australia: An update with the 2021 census. Korean Linguistics, 19 (2): 121-139.
Kim, H.J. & Horesh N. (2023) Plato in East Asia? Open Journal for Studies in Philosophy, 7(1): 9-18.
Fraschini, N. & Tao, Y. (2023) How epistemic anxiety and curiosity link perceived value and intended efforts in the language classroom. Annual Review of Applied Linguistics, 43:1–18.
Glade J. (2023) Korean Restaurant: Beyond Violence in Zainichi Korean Film. Seoul Journal of Korean Studies, 36(1): 117–138.
Fraschini, N. (2023) The Korean language is booming at Australian universities. What needs to be done to keep the momentum going? Melbourne Asia Review, 13.
Goldring, E. & Matthews, A. S. (2023) To Purge or Not to Purge? An Individual-level Quantitative Analysis of Elite Purges in Dictatorships. British Journal of Political Science. 53(2): 575-593.
Hynd, A., M. Broad, N. Xu & N. Daulay. (2023) Two Waves of Indonesia-Korea Industrial Automotive Partnership: Power, Patronage, and Public Policy, Indonesian Quarterly 51 (2), 1-23.
Hynd, A. & D. Connolly. (2023) Domination for the Rest? Creating and Contesting Secondary State Led International Hierarchies, International Studies Quarterly 67(4) sqad098.
Kim, Jihye (2023) Recent Immigration and Self-Employment: Motivations and Factors in the Rise of Korean Restaurants in Frankfurt, in Cross-border Interactions and Encounters between Germany and Korea. New York: Lexington.
Kim, Jihye (2023) Immigrant Entrepreneurship and the Rising Popularity of Korean Cuisine: Korean Restaurant Businesses in Frankfurt, Pacific Focus 38(2).
Kim, Jihye (2023) Together but Separate: Relationships and Boundaries between North and South Koreans in Multiethnic Britain, European Journal of Korean Studies, 22(2).
Kim, Jihye & Ahn, Yonson (2023) Gradual, Diverse, Complex—and Unnoticed: Korean Migration in Europe European Journal of Korean Studies, 22(2).
Barrett, J. (2022) Fortress North Korea and the battle against COVID-19. Melbourne Asia Review, 11.
Seo, A. (2022). Walkerhill resort: A space of exception in postwar South Korea. In S. Bozdoğan, P. Pyla, P. Phokaides (eds), Coastal Architectures and Politics of Tourism. Routledge.
-
Fraschini, N., & Park, M. Y. (eds) (2024). Korean language, society and identity. Melbourne Asia Review 20
Contact us
If you are interested in finding out more about our Hub or our research, please email the Director Nicola Fraschini.