ABSTRACT
The bipolar conflict between the United States and the former Soviet Union at the end of the 1980s brought about a major shift in the research agendas of strategic studies/ international studies institutes in Korea. In general, research institutes in Korea can be divided into three broad categories. First, there are the government-funded research institutes, which are affiliated with various government ministries. Its research agenda is primarily oriented to military and strategic issues concerning the northeast Asia region and the Korean peninsula. Second, there are university-based research centers. These tend to be smaller and more oriented to student research, although professors associated with these institutes may on occasion be doing rather expert research in their individual areas of interest. Finally, there are a few independent research centers that do not affiliate themselves with either the government or universities but conduct specialized research.
