Who We Are
I am pleased to welcome you to the website of the Korea Institute of Public Administration(KIPA).
Since its establishment in 1991, KIPA has served as Korea’s principal national policy research institute in public administration and governance. Over the past three decades, the Institute has conducted rigorous and policy-relevant research in areas including administrative innovation, disaster risk and safety management, regulatory governance, policy evaluation, and public service competency. In addition, KIPA has advanced research on public conflict management and international development cooperation, while producing data to support evidence-based government decision-making.
Korean society currently faces complex and interrelated challenges, including demographic transformation driven by low
fertility and population aging, structural labor-market changes resulting from advances in artificial intelligence and digital
technologies, and the reconfiguration of global supply chains amid intensifying geopolitical and geo-economic competition.
Together, these dynamics call for strengthened state capacity that transcends conventional policy ideas and instruments.
In response, KIPA has designated “State Capacity in the Era of Great Social Transformation” as its core research theme. Under this agenda, the Institute seeks to identify the competencies required of the public service and the organizational capacities necessary to address emerging policy challenges, while exploring institutional reforms and policy instruments that enable governments to deploy their capacities in a coherent, adaptive, and sustainable manner.
KIPA places strong emphasis on translating research into tangible policy impact through sustained engagement with government authorities, academic institutions, civil society organizations, and the broader public. Through policy forums, academic seminars, and international conferences, the Institute contributes to enhancing transparency, accountability, and effectiveness in public administration, while examining how artificial intelligence can be leveraged for public sector innovation in ways that safeguard institutional integrity and public trust.
As KIPA marks the 35th anniversary of its founding, the Institute remains firmly future-oriented. By generating analytically rigorous and policy-relevant solutions, KIPA aspires to further consolidate its position as a globally respected research institution in public administration and governance.
We sincerely appreciate your continued interest in and support for the Korea Institute of Public Administration.
Sincerely,
Huck-ju Kwon President Korea Institute of Public Administration
Education
- Ph.D. in Political Science, University of Oxford, United Kingdom
- M.A. in Political Science, Seoul National University, Republic of Korea
- B.A. in Political Science, Seoul National University, Republic of Korea
Key Professional Career
- (~present)Professor, Graduate School of Public Administration, Seoul National University
- (~present)Fellows, Academy of Social Sciences, United Kingdom
- Director, Global Development Institute for Public Affairs, Seoul National University
- Member, Committee for International Development Cooperation under the Prime Minister’s Office
- Member, Committee for Government Performance Evaluation under the Prime Minister’s Office
- Research Coordinator, United Nations Research Institute for Social Development (UNRISD)
- Professor, Department of Public Administration, Sungkyunkwan University
