The Department of Humanities for Unification at the Konkuk University (KU) Graduate School conducts research into several issues concerning the unification of the Korean peninsula with a humanistic perspective and study method. The department is oriented towards unification as a form of interaction and healing, overcoming of the psychological wounds of division, the unification of Korean and “Joseon Studies” and the academic unification of the accumulated experiences and strengths of South Koreans, North Koreans and the Korean Diaspora. In addition, we focus on the unification of values, emotions, and cultures of the two Koreas, which goes beyond mere political, economic, and systemic unification. Our department attempts to establish a study of unification study from a sociocultural perspective rather than from the political, economic or military points of view of North Korean studies. An outline of a unified Korean studies is also established, which incorporates the research outcomes in the fields of humanities and social sciences conducted by the South, North and overseas Koreans. Meanwhile, the department aims to develop a new academic domain combining unification studies and the unified Korean studies.

We ultimately aim to develop professionals fully capable of combining an integrated understanding of the unification of the two Koreas with the knowledge of the liberal arts.