In 2010, the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) launched the International Affairs Fellowship in South Korea (IAF-SK), sponsored by the Asan Institute for Policy Studies. The program seeks to strengthen mutual understanding and cooperation between the rising generations of leaders in the United States and South Korea by expanding cultural exchange and enhancing communication between both countries on global issues. The program assists mid-career scholars and professionals from the public and private sectors to advance their analytic capabilities and broaden their foreign policy experience in South Korea.
CFR awards several fellowships annually to highly accomplished individuals who have a capacity for independent work and who are eager to undertake serious foreign policy analysis while affiliated with the Asan Institute for Policy Studies in South Korea. Fellows are drawn from academia, business, government, media, NGOs, and think tanks.
Interested candidates who meet the program’s eligibility requirements must submit an application form, a CV, and a proposal (as specified in the application form). Each applicant should arrange to have two letters of recommendation sent assessing the policy relevance of the applicant’s proposed project as well as the applicant’s qualifications for carrying it out. All application materials must be submitted to [email protected] by October 1.
Candidates who are selected as IAF-SK finalists will be notified in November, with finalist interviews scheduled in Washington, DC, and New York City shortly after. Official selections and announcement of IAF-SK awards will be made around December.
The IAF-SK is only open to U.S. citizens. Applicants do not have to be Korea specialists, and knowledge of the Korean language is not a requirement. While a PhD is not a requirement, selected fellows generally hold an advanced degree and possess a strong record of work experience as well as a firm grounding in the field of foreign policy. The program does not fund pre- or postdoctoral research, work toward a degree, or the completion of projects for which substantial progress has been made prior to the fellowship period.
Selection as an IAF-SK is based on a combination of the following criteria: scholarly qualifications, achievements and promise, depth and breadth of professional experience, firm grounding in foreign policy and international relations, and an application proposal that focuses on U.S.-South Korea foreign policy issues. With respect to the proposal, applicants are encouraged to plan a systematic approach to assessing the major substantive and process issues of their planned research. The proposed work will be judged on originality, practicality, potential, likelihood of completion during the fellowship period, and the contribution it will make to the applicant’s individual career development.
The selection process is highly competitive. CFR’s Fellowship Affairs Office processes the applications, and the IAF-SK selection committee reviews all applications to identify the most promising candidates. About one-third of the most qualified applicants are selected as finalists to be interviewed by several IAF-SK selection committee members. Based on the overall application and the results of the interviews, the selection committee chooses approximately two to three finalists to be fellows.
The duration of the fellowship is between four and twelve months. The program awards a stipend which covers living expenses in Seoul, South Korea plus international travel and necessary research expenses. Fellows are considered independent contractors rather than employees of CFR, and are not eligible for employment benefits, including health insurance.
If you are interested in the fellowship, please contact [email protected] or 212.434.9740. For more information, please visit www.cfr.org/fellowships.
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